Not too long ago, my little boy was hitting home runs during the regular season of 8 year old baseball. He was confident. He never got nervous. He knew he could hit. He was always first to bat. We could count on him every single time he got up to bat. I never got nervous for him. I would sit relaxed in the stands as I watched my boy walk up to the plate. But something changed. He struck out. He didn't know what to do. He was shocked and now had a mental block. He finished his regular season with a hit but it wasn't his greatest. But that didn't matter to him, he hit the ball.
Fast forward to a tournament. Kendall gets up to bat, strikes out. Not once, but almost every single bat. He lost his confidence. He was in a slump. I knew what it was going to take to get him hitting again. We had a couple of hours between games so I took him to the batting cages about 35 minutes away from the ballpark. I knew he had to make contact with a ball before he would ever hit again at bat. We get to the the batting cages and he slams the ball. He felt good. He was confident. He knew he could hit but he had to be reminded he could hit. He needed someone to tell him that they believed in him and knew he was a good hitter. He was in a bad slump. He would tell me he was "horrible" at baseball after his games but I knew differently. I knew he could hit. But he had forgotten because of his last few bats. It only took one strike out to lose his focus. (How many can relate to that?) Mentally he was beat. No matter how many home runs he hit, he was focused on the present. After batting cage practice, his next time at bat, he nailed the ball. A simple reminder of who he was made him connect with the ball.
Have you ever been idn a slump? Maybe in your work. Perhaps in school. Your marriage. Finances. What about in life? Everyday it may seem "something" happens. The person you were has long been forgotten because of your current circumstances. You forgot that at one time, you were top salesman. You forgot you made a 4.0 your first semester. Maybe you've forgotten that your finances haven't always been in the red. Maybe you've forgotten your spouse that you "fell in love" with from the beginning. You need to be reminded who you are. Don't let the enemy or even others tell you who you are just because they see you now. Regain your confidence. What will it take to find "you" again? Maybe you know someone who needs to be reminded who they really are and not who the seem to be at the moment.
Well all need reminders. To be encouraged. For someone to believe in us when we've lost our confidence. My little boy taught me a life lesson through his strike outs. We all, at some point, will strike out. We will flat out miss the ball. But are we willing to be reminded who we are? Help someone today by letting them know you remember who they are.
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