PEARLS OF WISDOM

“Everything happens for a reason.”

 

“You choose what bothers you.”

 

 

Yes, for me, they are pearls of wisdom quoted from my youngest son that I found worth pondering and inspiring.  Words that I needed to hear and believe in my heart and thought you might need to be reminded of as well.

As those faithful readers of mine know, my youngest son also says “baseball is life.”  (I’m not sure that one quite qualifies for a pearl of wisdom though.  :))

 

A little background information before sharing this week’s story–

You may recall as well, how my son, when in middle school, so wanted to make the modified baseball school team but did not make it.  I wrote about it back then When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough.  He worked hard and was thrilled when, as a freshman in high school, he made the JV baseball team!  Unfortunately, about a month into the school season, when the coach put him in to pitch in an actual game for the first time, his shoulder popped and it started hurting.  He was benched for the rest of the school baseball season doing physical therapy for a frayed labrum; a step before things could get torn.

 

 

 

My son was so pleased to have made the school team again in 10th grade but this time he ended up benched for the whole school season as he hurt his shoulder during spring training!  Faithfully, he attended all the practices and games with his team though it was so difficult for him watching his teammates play; he just wanted to play baseball!

This past fall and winter my son has been working out three times a week at a gym with a trainer doing intense workouts to help him gain more strength and muscle overall.  He even started eating fruits and vegetables (for basically the first time!), drinking just water, and using portion control for his food that I follow.  Two other days a week he goes to the gym to do his specific PT exercises to strengthen the shoulder and does a lesser regiment at home the other days of the week.

As always, any chance he gets he is down at our local indoor baseball facility to practice taking ground balls, hitting, and soaking up whatever a coach will give him pointers on.

 

Photo courtesy of Patricia Mellin under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

 

 

Now to the current story~~

School tryouts for the Varsity baseball school team were held this past week Mon-Thurs.  He did say, for whatever reason, that he felt he did not do well on one particular day. It certainly is a different environment fielding ground balls on  a hardwood, gym floor rather than on grass and dirt!

The boys found out their fate at the end of practice on Thursday.  I was attending a college information night at the school that was held at the same time and I asked him to let me know as soon as he found out.

 

“Didn’t make it” showed up on my phone in the middle of this meeting.

 

My heart sunk as I felt so bad for him knowing how hard he had been working and loves to play baseball, counting it an honor to play for the school team.

 

I typed back “I am so sorry…My heart is breaking for you.”  I was wishing I was there to give him a hug to maybe help ease the pain.

 

Yes, by then I kinda tuned out of the meeting lost in thought for my son.

 

“Just no spot for me. He (the coach) told me I am a good ballplayer.”

 

We exchanged a few more sentences before I received one saying,

 

“EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON”

bringing me first to tears, then back to my senses, thinking what an admirable way to look at the situation.

 

“It happened. It’s fine. I’m really not that upset” was the end of his text.

 

Instead of feeling sorry for himself, my son was looking for the positive making the best of a defeat.

 

Photo courtesy of BK under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 2.0)

 

As sometimes is the case, I say him not making the school team this year was harder on me than him.

It is natural as parents that we want the best for our children and want their hopes and dreams to come true.  As I’m sure you can guess his dream is to play baseball in college and one day the MLB.  Isn’t it hard when we know our kid’s dreams might not become reality?

 

Isn’t it better, instead of dwelling on the negativity, to think that yes…

Everything happens for a reason

and it is really fine?

 

Yes, my son set my thinking right that night.

 

His outlook reminded me of the saying,

 

Photo courtesy of mgstanton under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0); words added by hopetoinspireyou.com

 

 

“YOU CHOOSE WHAT BOTHERS YOU”

 

Another statement my son has been saying the last month or so.

He just mentioned that some people don’t think that statement rings true, but my thought is that there is validity in the statement.

 

In the case of my son not making the school team, he could be angry and upset about it, letting it bother him and affect his outlook on life, but who is that helping?  NO ONE!

Would it change the original outcome?  NO

Would being angry and upset solve anything other than making him miserable?  NO

 

Photo courtesy of 语录 图说 under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

 

By choosing to not let the final result of not making the school baseball team bother my son…

he is letting it go,

surrendering to the fact that it happened, just like he said,

and moving on to what he can do now–

like go to the indoor facility everyday and continue practicing and playing baseball which he loves!

 

This week may you be reminded, that no matter what you are walking through or experiencing, that…

 

EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON

and

YOU CAN CHOOSE WHAT BOTHERS YOU.

 

Make a conscious decision to look for the positive and the things you can do to live in peace.

 

How perfect that I heard this on the Christian radio station today:

Disappointments just might be God’s way of saying, “I’ve got something better for you, my child.”

 

The Lord All-Powerful has made this promise: Everything I have planned will happen just as I said.   –Isaiah 14:24 (CEV)

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  –Colossians 3:1-2  (ESV)