Build Stories (Bot9 #297)
One of the benefits to getting old and doing the same thing for a long period of time (sure wish I would have been able to tell my younger self this years ago) is you gain the opportunity to build stories. Your life has a narrative cycle. You are one person and you either remain the same person, or you allow Christ and the Holy Spirit to transform you. This transformation becomes apparent through the stories people tell about you and you tell about yourself. If you build a positive baseball story, people will come.
This past week allowed a couple of moments for reflection. We had executed a high-paced practice with one of our groups the day before, while the other group had on-field batting practice. The next day was a defensive day. After hitting fungos for about 15 minutes with our P.O.s (pitcher-onlys, for those who don’t know), we decided to break out a tee and do a more competitive infield tee scrimmage. After a couple of rounds of well-executed infield play, and me jumping into the mix to spice it up, the scrimmage digressed. But not in a bad way. Everyone was just having fun.
Another benefit of getting old is having assistant coaches who used to play for you. I asked a couple of them, “Did we used to do this with you?” They both chuckled and said, “all the time.” They talked about all of the crazy things we would try, even going so far as to say, “sometimes we forced you into it.” In that moment, I realized something - I don’t remember these times from the past. I know the players do, but I don’t. I remember the hours and hours of prep - making sure practice plans are done, communications are sent, and everything is lined up perfectly. But a lot of the time, I audible. I listen to the players. I get a feel for where they’re at and give them an opportunity to breathe. In those moments, we build stories and times they will remember.
Later in the week, I had the opportunity to talk with a parent from a former player. He recounted in such clear detail how I handled his son making the same mistake repeatedly in a game. I remembered the day his son was having at the plate because it was a good one, but I didn’t have any memory of the mistake he was making. None. I knew how I addressed the mistake because I deal with the mistakes of high school kids regularly, but I had no recollection of what he did wrong. In that moment, his dad built a story, one he recounted during his younger son’s game this past month in a different state with a different group of people.
With our tryouts approaching, I always think back to this Bottom of the Ninth from a few years ago: Dear Younger Me Series - “A Moment for Healing” (Bot9 #186). This was a story that included me as a coach and a former player reconnecting after years apart. It’s so hard to put into words how much this moment of reconciliation meant for both of us. Both Hunter and I would say we remember the people we’re talking to in the letter, but we’re miles and miles away from being those people now. This is a story we built together.
In no way is the intent of this piece to be a big pat on the back or a personal feel good. It is an opportunity for all of us to look back and see how God continues to transform who we are and how we do things in greater alignment with His word. Take a look at 2 John 4-6:
“It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
May we all build stories of love through the sports we play and coach, and walk in obedience to Christ’s command of walking in love.