Getting Started

Draft from my book about coaching baseball and spiritual life

Getting Started

Spring finally breaks and the news about baseball creeps beyond the fervent fan and starts to be visible on the playground and in the backyard.  Children ask their mom and dad’s to play catch.  Balls start to bang against walls and bats are found laying out in the yard, on the porch and under the bed covers.  Sweat shirts are traded in for T-shirts and the requests to go shopping at the sporting goods store is ramp us.  Baseball season has arrived.

There are many things we look forward to in life.  The change of each season brings a new set of toys, adventures and opportunity.  Each new season also brings with it the challenges of changing our schedules and rearranging our priorities.  The season of staying warm and safe at home is interrupted with the call to get out and transport.  The easy chair is challenged by the lawn chair and your Wi-Fi connection is lost, unless you have 3G. 

The first part of starting something new or starting something again, is showing up.  For those who have had past success or fun, showing up and staring has many warm memories.  For many other children who did not find success, showing up for the first practice or general meeting may be filled with reminders of failure, mistakes and being laughed at.  Life has both good times and bad times.  We learn this early on.  Some have had their first difficult lessons in the previous season where they found out that the video game is not like reality and that the summer heat can drain your desire as quickly as the swimming pool can drain your strength.

 As the coach, I don’t want to over praise “just showing up” but I also don’t want to negate the fact that if people don’t get here, we won’t have a team.  A team needs those who are excited and eager.  We also need those who are drug there by their parents and those who simply got in the car, not knowing where mom was going.  Even on professional teams, there are players who are distracted with life’s events and pains.  At every level where we do things together, there is a mixture of enthusiasm and apathy, focus and distractions.

Welcoming, being thankful from the heart and appreciating the sacrifice of time is a good character trait for a coach or a leader.  We can assume that our program is what people should be dedicated to, but that would be more selfish than honest.  God made people to be free and Americans excel at that freedom.  We feel it is our right to “get to choose” and we balk at being made to conform.  Coaching children and their families includes valuing them and caring for them.  Love, care and interest are just as important as knowledge, skill and insight.  The wisdom of coaching players at the “coach pitch” level will manifest in who shows up next season and who becomes sick and tired of playing baseball.  It all starts when we first show up.

This same principle is true for those of us who are spiritual coaches and leaders.  We can assign a value to what we do and have a heart that demands people to be committed to our agenda.  This demand may be hidden beneath our efforts of kindness, praise and understanding but if our heart is judging others, our mouth will sooner or later expose it. Being a Godly leader in a culture that worships success, elitism and the “superstars” tends to push us away from our love for people and toward performance.  We may have started ministry with intentions to help and serve people, but now we use people to accomplish goals.  Our vision for others is now measured in what we have done, what results can be marketed and what news is reaching our community or circle of influence. 

Jesus was a great leader.  His security in the Father allowed Him to love people when they were gathering and when they were leaving.  The heart of Jesus did not waver with attendance and while dealing with the hurt and pain of failure.  Jesus maintained a spirit of hope and restoration.  In the garden at the betrayal of Judas, in the courtyard at the denial of Peter and at the cross; Jesus does not fall into selfishness.  Others, serving and sacrifice were gifts He was willing to freely give as His security and identity was not founded in success but in His relationship with the Father.  It is a secure identity that allows us to freely honor and care for people regardless of performance.  If we set people free from our need to perform, we release them into the freedom of maturity and growth without our controlling spirit.

One reason that many in America are dropping out of church, not coming back next season may be the fact that they have more negative memories than good.  We may have accomplished our agenda, our vision, our dreams; but at what cost.  We are here for the committed and for the weary.  Our team is made up of rising stars and smoldering candle wicks that we do not want to put out.