Oh The Places You’ll Go (Bot9 #323)
It’s graduation season and no doubt some grads received the same gift I did as I completed high school - Dr. Seuss’s last book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! It’s an encouraging little tale, one with a sense of reality as well. I love the scenes of good and slumps, the waiting and the bumps. This year marks 30 years since my graduation and, oh, the places I’ve been.
One of those places is All-City Stadium in Denver. In 1992 during my senior year of high school, we lost the state championship baseball game on a walk-off home run there. It was a seminal moment for me, one I’m convinced God used to guide me into coaching. Then, in 2006, my team lost the state championship there on a walk-off squeeze play in my first appearance in the title game as a head coach. We would also lose final four games there in 2011 and 2013 as well. I was a part of a team that won the state title at that stadium in 2018, so not all memories there have been bad. But, as we returned there for our state playoffs this year, I couldn’t help but reflect on where I’ve been in between visits to that place.
I look at the 18-ear-old boy in that photo consoling our pitcher after giving up the home run to lose the game, and I look at the man hugging all his players after we were eliminated from the state tournament this year. How have I changed in life’s journey? Am I even close to the same? I certainly live by the same name, but the difference between those two people are oh, so different.
This past week, one of the players wrote some kind words as an introduction to me at our banquet. The words he read reflected all of the places I’ve been, the work Christ has done in me over the years. These words, in particular, show how far I have come in 30 years:
“He is someone who is dedicated and passionate to not only create us to be better ballplayers on the field, but to be loving followers of Christ on and off the field as well. He has focused on pushing us to dive deeper into our faith and mature into better men. He has been a perfect example of how to turn your own life around to honor the Lord and then proceed to go change hundreds of others’ lives so that they can experience the love of Christ.”
I’m not writing this as a self-indulgent pat on the back, but rather a note to say, “if I can do it, you can do it.” Honestly, anyone can do what I’ve done, but few choose to do so. There’s nothing special about me receiving that Dr. Seuss book 30 years ago. I just chose to let Jesus take me all the places He wanted me to go and lived His story for me. It took a while for me to figure it out and give up my own plans, but, once I did, it all starting working together for the good of myself and those around me.
And now, as another season comes to rest, I reflect on a different set of words, this from the Irish poet John O’Donohue. As we get older, we’re no longer going into a great adventure with so many places to go. Instead, we look back on all of those experiences, and look for an infusion of hope and energy to propel us into what’s next.
“May this new night of rest
Repair the wear of time
And restore youth of heart
For the adventure
That awaits tomorrow.*