I'm sure many of your families are like ours & you are now spending countless hours at the ballfield on the freezing cold/rainy nights waiting for the warm sunny games that lie ahead. I love this time of year. Baseball = Spring!
Unfortunately whether I like it or not we all know that with ball season comes drama. I HaTe this part of sports! HATE it! But it seems to go with the territory. I will admit that at times it is really hard to "rise above". My boys have been blessed through the years with some really great coaches, but they've also had some well-meaning, but not so great ones. They've been on teams with good kids with great attitudes who play as hard as they can no matter what. But they've also played on teams with kids with bad attitudes who have parents with bad attitudes & they give up half-way through the game when it's not going their way. We've experienced being on the winning end of good calls & bad calls alike and vice-versa. I've blogged about how intense my boys are about competition, especially baseball. When they're intense it seems to intensify my own thoughts, emotions, reactions, cheering & even my prayers.
I came across this article recently in a magazine that I love. While the article has lots to say about each of these I wanted to share these Guide Lines for the Side Lines with you along with the scriptures that the author listed. It is my prayer that when the drama comes, temper flares, intense match-ups arise (because all of these will happen!) that I can think back on these...being convicted to say & do the right thing.
1. Remember the real reasons you are there.
"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."
2 Corinthians 5:20
2. Refrain yourself from being overly concerned with the outcome.
"Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth." Ecclesiastes 11:9
3. Resist coaching from the sidelines.
"Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men." 1 Peter 2:13
4. Refuse to take part in toxic behavior.
"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29
"If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God." 1 Peter 4:11
5. Remain positive despite the outcome.
"Pleasant words promote instruction." Proverbs 16:21
6. Respect and honor others.
"Show proper respect to everyone." 1 Peter 2:17
"Encourage one another and build each other up." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Let's Play Ball!
In Perspective: Weeks Forty-Seven – Fifty-Two
8 years ago
9 comments:
Love this!! Im right there with ya on this! Thanks for sharing =)
So not looking forward to those days. We are not competitive people in this house, but I want my kids to work hard if they decide to play a sport, or whatever their activity. This will be a good one to remember.
Will you be posting this at the ball fields or putting it on people's windshields? Both would probably be helpful! :)
Amen to it all. I work with so many obsessed ball parents that I printed out your blog to help with perspective.
I can totally relate. It's mostly a great experience but it has its moments that for sure. I do love spring ball though.
Joy, the older Joshua gets the more I begin to get a little more protective over his baseball. He LOVES the game so much! (And, we LOVE it so much too!) Loved reading this.
Joy, the older Joshua gets the more I begin to get a little more protective over his baseball. He LOVES the game so much! (And, we LOVE it so much too!) Loved reading this.
Well, Joy, you know that my hobby is sports photography and almost every day I'm on the sidelines of a field of play for some sport, from Little League to college. I don't think that you can come up with a situation that I haven't personally seen or heard of. To your friends: Remember all the things Joy wrote whenever you go to watch your children play their games. You will encounter all of those situations during their sports careers. Remember, your kids are watching you and learning from you how to deal with these situations in life. Set a good example for them and enjoy all of it while you can. The years go by very fast!!
Wishing you a peaceful baseball season!!!
What a great post. Since this is our first year of baseball I am a little nervous. You would think that the kids were playing in the big leagues with how some of these parents act. I can't wait to see you at the ball field. Too bad Cole and Austin aren't on the same team.
PS Cole's coach is my old boss at Joe Hudson's.
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