Growing up I had a dream to play in the big leagues. By the time I was ten years old I had my entire life mapped out. I was going to make it to the show by 20, play until I was 40, and then buy a huge piece of property out in the country. I wanted enough land so my brothers and sisters could build houses near me and then I would retire in peace. I never had thoughts of coaching baseball or doing anything in the game professionally from there on out. Like many of you, God had a different plan for me.
All I ever wanted to do is play the game. The only record I was interested in breaking was Lou Gehrig’s of consecutive games played. The reason why? I loved playing so much and I didn’t ever want to watch it from the dugout. My playing career ended in the minor leagues and I transitioned into coaching because I wasn’t really sure what else to do. I had a degree in marketing, but I wasn’t passionate about working in an office.
I have been coaching baseball for about 25 years now. It started small as a camp counselor for Doyle Baseball during the summer of 1993 when I was a college player and eventually, I started my own baseball business, Cactus Athletics, back in 2006. In addition to running this company I have been a minor league coach with the San Francisco Giants for the past 8 years. While this sounds like an amazing life to some of you, I find myself constantly striving to find “something” that fills the void inside me.
Fighting Complacency
When you hear the word complacent, what comes to mind? I think of someone who is lazy. I wasn’t sure what the definition of the word was, so I looked it up. I was a little surprised by what I found. It means to be pleased with one’s merits often without awareness of some potential danger. Another definition says to be self-satisfied. After thinking about it for a while I realize my initial gut reaction was wrong, but not that far off.
I heard a story once during a sermon that said the most dangerous day for a person who climbs Mount Everest is the first day of the decent. That blew me away. I mean you are climbing one of the tallest mountains on earth! How in world is that possible? Then the answer made total sense. It’s about focus. On the way up people are hyper-focused on each step and the goal they want to accomplish. Once they make it to the summit, the celebration ensues and for some, they let their guard down and get sloppy.
To me this is a perfect example of someone who becomes complacent. They are obviously impressed with the fact that they just kicked this mountain’s butt, and then they lose focus on finishing strong. It’s not like you are going to grab a toboggan and slide down with a cup of hot chocolate in your hand. You still gotta climb down this thing!
We can apply this to so many things in our life. While it is good to celebrate victories, we also need to realize that patting ourselves on the back for too long results in getting passed up by the next guy who has been gunning for the same thing we just did. There are many times when I would have players compete against each other in the batting cage and have the winner do push-ups. Why? I would tell them that when you’re victorious you now have a target on your back, and you need to prepare for the next competitor. As you can imagine they would grumble, but they did it in-between reps.
When I think about a story in the bible that refers to complacency, my mind goes to the rich man who just had an abundant harvest. He decides he will tear down his barns and build bigger ones to store his surplus instead of being generous to God and others. After that it says he will “take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” Read the verse below to see what God thinks about this. Small hint, it’s not good…
“But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will what you have prepared for yourself?’ This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves, but is not rich towards God.”
Luke 12: 20,21 NIV
Finding Contentment
To be content was something I used to view as a negative. I felt like it meant I was willing to settle for less than excellence which is what I have always desired in my life. The problem with me growing up was this- I didn’t really enjoy or appreciate where I was at because I was always looking at the next step. I was so focused on the destination/main goal, which was playing in the big leagues, that I didn’t enjoy my high school, college or minor league playing days like I should have. I correlate it to a person who is making a cross country drive and doesn’t enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.
What my life used to lack; I now strive for- being content with my current situation. Finding joy in times of trails. Joy and happiness are always there, but sometimes it’s hard to find in the midst of a struggle. We just need to be able to slow down and identify them. Contentment is defined as being satisfied or having ease of mind. That sounds so peaceful to me. With all the busyness in our lives, doesn’t something as simple as having ease of mind sound amazing?! It does to me.
Being content is now a major goal of mine as a husband, father and provider. If I am not, my eyes can wander to other women because my focus is on my wife’s faults. If all I think about is how my 8 and 10 year old boys drive me crazy, then I will not appreciate this time of their lives and I will miss out on it. By the way doing crazy stuff at this age is NORMAL. They are entering the young stages of manhood and it’s my job to be their guide. If I am always thinking about making more money and buying a bigger house, I won’t appreciate what I have now and the blessings that God has given me.
I think that being content also goes hand in hand with being thankful. I wrote about this back in November around Thanksgiving so be sure to click the link and check it out. When you show God that you are content with what He has blessed you with, I believe two things will happen: (1) You will become more thankful and (2) He will bless you with more. Paul talks about this in the 4th chapter of the book of Philippians. He speaks of being content regardless of his circumstances. While verse 13 of this chapter is often quoted, many people do not see the precursor to that famous verse, which is below.
“… for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
Philippians 4: 11,12 NIV
Verse 13 follows up with the powerhouse message that is proudly displayed across our homes, work places and locker rooms. It is one of my favorites like many of you, but I do realize that regardless of victory or defeat on the field or in life, God is for me and He wishes to bless me, so I will be content in all seasons of my life.
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Philippians 4:13 NKJV
Here are some points to think about this week when thinking of being content:
- Look for the good in everything. Think of the glass being half full.
- Get on your knees and give God thanks for everything and everyone He has blessed you with.
- Focus on and appreciate what you have; not the treasures of others.
- Take joy in the “little things” in life, because guess what, they’re all big.
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