Personal Narrative: A Career As A High School Baseball Player

physically gifted they may bepropositioned me. He bet me that he could either strike me out or force an out. This was a bold maneuver. Vincent knew I would not turn him down. Deciding to let him win in front of the parents, or shatter his confidence was tough. The entire team went out onto the field knowing that I would hit the ball for the reason that it was impossible to strike me out. I let him throw the first strike, and swung and missed on the second pitch. The parents joined in the action and cheered him on, with the hopes of seeing an elementary school kid strike out a high school baseball player. I came to the realization that I have much more to give than allowing Vincent to strike me out just to make the onlookers happy. I hit the
next pitch into the trees in left field, which served as the fence. After running the bases I looked over to catch that the expression on his face included tears. Subsequently, I told the team that if they do indeed pitch, they would give up a round tripper or ten. Everything is not going to happen the way that they want it to, and when things go awry, it is important that we are able to hop back on our horse and fight and make sure the next guy does not emerge victorious.
Following that Thursday night, the response to giving up a run as a result of mistakes changed. The number of players who I would witness walking in the dugout with tears on their faces decreased. They understood that no matter how hard they threw it or how hard they hit the ball, it was not always going to work out in their favor. I Peter 4:8-11 talks about how we must use our gifts to serve others. Instead of letting Vincent take the strikeout, I taught the team a lesson that became a factor that influenced our success. I wish that when I was a little kid, someone had done the same for me, and taught me that I was not always going to receive what I felt like I deserved, no matter how hard I worked for it. There were days when I felt like I was what the team did not need, but it was my duty to serve them regardless for the sake of what I needed to give. We all possess a piece to the community puzzle. However, it is up to us to bring it to the table. We can sit and watch them put the puzzle together from the sidelines, or we can become involved and bless our community with the gifts that God has blessed us with.
As a leader and coach my actions were under the microscope.
Unfortunately, I did not realize that until I saw my bad habits and poor choices mimicked by the players. I was under the belief that was exempt from the rules. Instead of being an example, I showed up late, wore what I wanted, and ate goldfish and chewed on sunflower seeds on the field. The young kids looked up to me, and wanted to be like me. Failing to set a positive example for the kids, I needed to humble myself and lead, instead of feeling that I was above it all. None of the older coaches called out my failure to lead by example, so I was left to find my error on my own. After seeing it in the 11 year olds, it was quite necessary to step out of my comfort zone and conform to their rules. That moment became one of the defining moments of my young life. I led by example by humbling myself and accepting my role to serve others. Not only did I act as a leader, but my attitude caused me to glow and explode with a noticeable
effervescence. Ask any parent what their biggest challenge was when it came to teaching their children, whether it be eating their vegetables or developing healthy habits.
They will tell you that making these events fun or enjoyable was a challenge. In order to effectively engage kids in these lackluster activities, we must make them fun for them. I came to the realization that the kids were not always going to share my perspective, and in some cases they may fail to take notice of the endgame. No kid wants to run five laps or sprint around the bases after practice when they are fatigued and desire to go home. If making a five lap run seems like the utmost fun activity at the moment, the kids would be persuaded to follow, so that’s what I would do. Anytime you enjoy conditioning, it is a victory. At the age of 18, I still do not enjoy it. Making the activities enjoyable and fun was one of my goals, and I succeeded.
From time to time, the people that need you the most will never tell you, out of pride or fear. We garner more satisfaction when we complete tasks without asking for assistance. That is how pride works, and it can be used to our advantage or it can hurt us. Where would I be if I did not tell the important people in my life how much they are needed and appreciated and they left? They knew that I needed them so they stuck around. We must stand in the need for others as well. People will not tell us that they need us, regardless of how much we want them
to.
There were instances where I felt expendable. As I distanced myself, I began to realize why I was needed. Sometimes we must take a step back and survey our impact, this will go a long way towards our feelings of importance. No one will need to tell us that they need for us to stand in the gap for them, it will be evident that they need us. If we love our neighbors the way that our everloving Father has loved us and show them the mercy that God showed us, we can help them reach the goals in their own lives.
My mother is a praying woman. If she had not prayed for me relentlessly throughout the tough times, I would not have made it. If we pray for our neighbors and for their ultimate triumph, we can stand in the need for them, as my mother stood in the need for me.