Well it has been a while since an update to this blog. Just shows you how busy a summer can be with baseball players in your family. Now that school is back in session and we are back to "normal" routines it is my intent to begin writing again.
Fall is an excellent time to think about training and preparation as a young ballplayer. Great time to think about how you can improve before the spring season cranks up again.
As I sit here in a hotel room on a Friday night in Hiawassee Georgia I have been thinking about how much preparation my own son has put into this game over the past 9+ years. You see tomorrow he gets to "showcase" his talents in a very public setting at Young Harris College with 25-30 college coaches/scouts watching and seeking a player or two that they need for their programs. All that he has done on his own and with his various teams and coaches now gets put to the test. No promises. No guarantees. We have prayed that God's Will is carried out and that we accept whatever that may be. You see preparation has led to this moment and he now gets to see if the public performance pays off. No promises. No guarantees.
Yesterday in my FCA Coaches Bible devotional I read about Private Preparation Preceding Public Performance. We live in a performance driven , presentation focused world. In the sporting world much emphasis is put on game time. "How will I look?" or "How will I perform?" is at the forefront of our minds. We are drawn more to the performance than to the preparation.
Great example is Michael Phelps. We loved seeing him win the gold medals. We were glued to every race. Would we have wanted to watch every swim practice, every workout, every early morning strength session? Nope. We want to see the performance. Did all of his preparation guarantee gold? Nope. But it sure did help! Would he have been able to achieve what he did without the preparation. Absolutely not.
Jesus knew how important private preparation was to performance. Every chance He got, Jesus would spend quality time in prayer and devotion to His Father. He pushed away from the crowds, away from the public eye, away from the demands of His day and got alone with God. While his disciples saw his public performance of preaching, teaching, ministering to the needy, and performing miracles their only request was "Lord teach us to pray".
Jesus' private preparation guaranteed the success of His public performance. As coaches and players, our private time (preparation time) is more important than what happens in the public eye. So must our private time with God be important to our "performance" in life. We must take time each day to talk and walk with our Creator in order to hear Him and to seek His wisdom and His Will for our lives. This preparation does guarantee success. Success in having a relationship with the One who made us who we are and will become.
So as you spend time preparing and training physically this Fall for next Springs public performance, keep God in your spiritual preparation and training plan. Seek that quiet time to hear what God has to offer you. He guarantees you won't be disappointed.
As my son "showcases" tomorrow I only wish the college coaches knew how much preparation he has put into this moment. No promises. No guarantees.
However his heavenly Father knows about his physical and spiritual preparation and will see to it that His Will is carried out in his life. Promised and Guaranteed on a cross.
