Braves
04-14-03, 05:21 PM
I thought I would share this with you guys. It's pretty good!
I have received permission to post this from a great Mom...I hope it helps some of you:
Hope you don’t mind if I share our experiences of this past year, as I’m convinced they happened to us for this purpose. It’s a little long, but here goes...
Last year at this time we were impatiently awaiting the start of our college son’s junior year… draft year. On opening day scouts were everywhere, but our guy struggled at the plate … and continued to struggle week after week. Nothing he did seemed to help. He spent nights after practice in the cages until his hands bled. He read book after book, sought out advice from everyone, changed his stance, his bat, even dropped the switch hitting that he and his coach had worked so hard on … but nothing worked. He missed his coach, who had died the previous summer, but he pressed on hoping to honor him. The low point came in a game at the end of March when he went 0-5 with 4 K’s …swinging …in front of a pro scouting director that had flown in to see him. I watched as he left the field in tears … through my tears… wondering why all of this was happening.
We drove over to his apt. parking lot to wait for him, like we always did, but he didn’t show. After 2 hours his truck finally pulled in and out he emerged … with a big smile on his face!
“I suck!” he laughed. I didn’t know what to say. He continued, “I went to a park, had a little talk with the Man Upstairs, and now realize that I can’t do this by myself. No matter how hard I try, I can’t. From now on I’m just going to do my best and turn the rest over to Him. Let’s go get a big steak!”
The next weekend series was remarkable. He went 10 for 12 with 2 HR’s… and the success continued, game after game, week after week, for the rest of the season. Just that quickly his slump turned around and he batted over .500 for the remainder of the season. The right MLB team saw something they liked and drafted him in the 3rd round last June. Whenever anyone asks him what happened … what changed things around … he tells them his story and how he learned who’s really in control.
Dear Parents … I know how you are feeling if you have a son approaching an important season. I know the sharp little pain that grabs at your stomach whenever you think about what’s at stake. But I hope that whenever the pressure rises you’ll remember, “To everything there is a season … a time for every purpose under heaven.” Your son can learn so many wonderful life lessons through the ups and downs of his baseball journey and all of these experiences have the potential of molding him into a better player and man.
My prayer for every parent that struggles with fears and doubts, as we still do, is that you’ll be able to find a peace that surpasses all understanding in the promise of God’s love for your son. Have faith and always remember … he’s in good hands.
I have received permission to post this from a great Mom...I hope it helps some of you:
Hope you don’t mind if I share our experiences of this past year, as I’m convinced they happened to us for this purpose. It’s a little long, but here goes...
Last year at this time we were impatiently awaiting the start of our college son’s junior year… draft year. On opening day scouts were everywhere, but our guy struggled at the plate … and continued to struggle week after week. Nothing he did seemed to help. He spent nights after practice in the cages until his hands bled. He read book after book, sought out advice from everyone, changed his stance, his bat, even dropped the switch hitting that he and his coach had worked so hard on … but nothing worked. He missed his coach, who had died the previous summer, but he pressed on hoping to honor him. The low point came in a game at the end of March when he went 0-5 with 4 K’s …swinging …in front of a pro scouting director that had flown in to see him. I watched as he left the field in tears … through my tears… wondering why all of this was happening.
We drove over to his apt. parking lot to wait for him, like we always did, but he didn’t show. After 2 hours his truck finally pulled in and out he emerged … with a big smile on his face!
“I suck!” he laughed. I didn’t know what to say. He continued, “I went to a park, had a little talk with the Man Upstairs, and now realize that I can’t do this by myself. No matter how hard I try, I can’t. From now on I’m just going to do my best and turn the rest over to Him. Let’s go get a big steak!”
The next weekend series was remarkable. He went 10 for 12 with 2 HR’s… and the success continued, game after game, week after week, for the rest of the season. Just that quickly his slump turned around and he batted over .500 for the remainder of the season. The right MLB team saw something they liked and drafted him in the 3rd round last June. Whenever anyone asks him what happened … what changed things around … he tells them his story and how he learned who’s really in control.
Dear Parents … I know how you are feeling if you have a son approaching an important season. I know the sharp little pain that grabs at your stomach whenever you think about what’s at stake. But I hope that whenever the pressure rises you’ll remember, “To everything there is a season … a time for every purpose under heaven.” Your son can learn so many wonderful life lessons through the ups and downs of his baseball journey and all of these experiences have the potential of molding him into a better player and man.
My prayer for every parent that struggles with fears and doubts, as we still do, is that you’ll be able to find a peace that surpasses all understanding in the promise of God’s love for your son. Have faith and always remember … he’s in good hands.