Last week we spent several days at the ballpark for my daughter’s Regional Softball Tournament. They came in 5th and played so hard! I am so proud of my girl and her team.
I got to thinking during one of the games how life is like a softball game! Humor me here and listen to why I think this way. 
Sometimes it is all you.
When you are up to bat, all eyes are on you and it is just you and the ball. You are in control of what comes next. Will you swing? Will it be too high and you take the ball? Will you swing too early or late?Just like in life, sometimes it is all you and it is all up to you how you handle the situation. Will you handle it with grace or swing too late and miss the opportunity?
Sometimes it takes a team.
You can’t play a game all by yourself. If a first base player is not paying attention and the ball goes to her, she lets her whole team down. What if someone missed the ball, a teammate has to hustle and make the play as her backup. Just like in life. Sometimes it takes team work for things to work. In a marriage, family, friendship…it takes a team to make it work!You need people to have your back and sometimes you are the one that has to have someone’s back. You depend on your back up for the support! “Way to be there!” They say! Are you there for other people? Do you have a team that has your back?
You need all the positions to have a successful game.
A pitcher can’t win a game all by herself. It takes the whole team and every position to win a game. Every position has to be in place and alert! They need to catch the pop ups, catch a ball from a teammate, the catcher needs to catch every pitch. How exhausting it would be for one player to run from place to place to grab the ball and try to make an out. It is not possible. Just like in life. You need all your positions filled. It would not work if you did it all. That is why you must pick your teammates wisely.
Keep your eye on the ball.
I hear these sayings all the time “GOOD EYE” or “Keep your eye on the ball!” It’s all about watching that ball. Just like in life, you have to keep your eyes open. Keep your eyes on your goal, your dreams, your passions. If you lose sight of what is important you will fail!
Expect anything and react fast.
Many times I would see my daughter dodge a line drive right to the pitcher. I thought how fast she has to react in order to not be nailed with the ball. Every player has to be ready for the ball to come her way at anytime. They have to act fast to avoid being hurt or missing the catch. Just like in life. Unexpected things happen. Sometimes obstacles that we did not see coming hit us fast and hard! Do we react fast and accept the unexpected?
Cheers
Cheer means to shout for joy or in praise or encouragement. One thing that always makes me smile is to hear the girls cheering each other on. Whether they are winning or losing they cheer on their teammates. When they go up to bat, they have cute cheers set for each girl. It reminds them they are not alone! People are cheering them on to do awesome! They also praise one another. There is a cheer they do when someone scores a run! There is a cute glove bump that they do when the pitcher gets a strike out. Life should include lifting one another up no matter what. We should all be cheerleaders for those in our life. It should be loud so they know they are loved and have support. We should also pay attention to the people that are cheering us on. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Someone somewhere is cheering you on!
Life Is Like A Softball Game
Life is about taking the balls that come your way. Sometimes we strike out. Sometimes we depend on our teammates to back us up or we have to back them up. Sometimes the ball is all in our hands. Sometimes it is all up to us how we want to handle a situation. Sometimes we have to step back and play as a team. Sometimes we have to step up to the plate and take a swing at the things we want most in this life. Sometimes we let the balls pass if they are not the right pitch / fit for our life.
God sends us our people that make our team. He sends us pitches and some are meant to be a home run and some we are meant to pass up. Not every pitch is for us. Some opportunities are not the best match for us and we must let them go. But some are pitched perfectly and are God’s way of sending us what we are asking for.
Life is like a softball game! Will you hit a home run? Will you be someone’s back up? Will you step up to the plate? Will you let the balls get by? Will you let the team down or be the reason they win? It is all up to YOU!
