Live in the Day, Measure by the Decade (Bot9 #278)

As the new year turned us to a new decade, my wife, Alyson, posted something reflective about our family’s decade and the decade to come. There’s so much to cherish in my family that I couldn’t have imagined ten years ago. They are truly the center of life in a way that they weren’t a decade ago. I was already thinking about writing this this post before Alyson’s really got me thinking, and it made me look at one of my favorite sayings (which sits on a note on my computer’s desktop every day):

“Live in the Day, Measure by the Decade.”

When developing as a person, it is important to be present today, but to measure over a longer period of time. We began implementing this principle in our baseball program as well. We only record the full battery of measurements on our players during the annual tryout period. While we might record some data from time to time, we only do that when seeking growth in a certain area. Human beings need the gift of time in order the let growth breathe.

In reflection, it would have been difficult to imagine many of the things that occurred to me in baseball, in athletic administration, and in my walk with God as I think back to who I was in 2010. I can’t imagine trying to tell the 2010 version of myself all of these things, but here goes…

“You’re going to win a bunch of cool things. Chill out a bit. Teams you coach will win multiple league, district/regional, and state championships. The softball team you coach is going to qualify for the state tournament in your first year coaching. Yup, softball, too. You’re even going to be a part of a curling championship. The best part of all of this is that you’re going to realize that coaching is what you do, not who you are. It might be one of the best things you absorb and learn.

“You’re going to truly recognize coaching as a ministry. Pointing people to Jesus through sports and coaching Biblically will become a major area of passion. You’ll take four trips to the Dominican Republic and one to Nicaragua. You’ll go deep in writing about connections between the teachings of Jesus and baseball, including publishing your first book. In the midst of this, you’ll have the privilege of participating in the baptism of a number of players and coaches on the baseball field and in the ocean off the DR. Keeping Jesus the focus bears great fruit and you trust God more than you could imagine.

“Speaking of trusting God, you follow Him into a desert experience. In the end, you experience a relationship with God that cannot be exchanged or explained easily to those who haven’t walked with him with the same purpose. This adds depth to your writing and to those you impact. You begin speaking to people in your church, in schools, and in the community, and they listen differently. You communicate differently than before. The chains are broken and you’re free.

“There will be some other really cool things as well. You’ll get to coach a bunch more D1 athletes, some draftees, and you’ll see your first alum make it to the MLB. Your high school coach will be elected into the ABCA hall of fame and you’ll get to sit with his family during the ceremony. A bunch of cool technology will hit the culture and it will be a lot of fun to see how the game changes. You’ll get to appear on some podcasts and share the wider perspective all of these life events have provided you.”

“At the end of the decade, you’ll realize how much you grew spiritually, emotionally, mentally, professionally, personally, and in relationship with God and others. The past two decades have marked incredible transformation and growth in your life. Keep the saying close to you - live in the day, measure by the decade. Those milestones will become more and more meaningful as you keep your target focused on the heart of Jesus.”

I hope you’ll also grab on to this idea and implement it in your life. Living in the day and reflecting on your growth in the long term is part of an incredible big-picture process. I can only imagine that you grow as much as I do in the course of a ten-year period of time.

Questions:

In the Batter’s Box (Personal) - Where have you experienced the most growth over the past decade? What occurred to you over the past decade that has been the most surprising?

In the Bullpen (Small group, Relationships) - Who have you grown close to over the past decade? Is your family closer than it was ten years ago?

In the Postgame Circle (Large groups) - How can you build a deeper community around you over the coming decade?