flushed or waterslide
For the last year I have felt like the water that is going down the drain, as you get closer to being swallowed up, the water spins faster. There’s no let up and no answer for when the spinning will stop. You get to the place where thinking of going down the drain becomes a relief because the spinning is over. I have sat at my desk, the kitchen table, on my couch, and in my car, unable to think of a time where a break is coming. My wife and I go on a vacation every year, except this one, so far. I have never gotten sucked into a burnout swirl or tossed around to where I didn’t feel like I was in control and could jump out at any moment, until this year.
Last year I took a 10U baseball team from Virginia Beach Little League to a District Championship and then we headed to the state tournament in Lynchburg, Virginia. Little did I know that the swirl had started and wouldn’t stop for a long time. We lost in the state quarterfinals, but I was inspired during that game to come back to Virginia Beach and start a baseball travel program for all the kids who wanted to play Little League, but also play travel baseball. It’s not a new concept, many leagues do it. In fact, the team that beat us in the state quarterfinals has a travel program and their talent level was indicative of it. The kids were developed, and I couldn’t keep bringing kids up out of Virginia Beach Little League without giving them opportunity to be developed in the same way. SO, along with a group of parents and coaches who saw the same opportunity, we started the VB Pups.
In the fall, I coached the 10U and 12U, we had back-to-back practices every Tuesday and Thursday, and played 4 games every weekend. We had great coaches, but I was learning the program and I wanted to do everything I could to help the coaches get comfortable and learn as well. So, I coached both until we could set culture and set the new program up for success. There’s no way this program exists without all the parents, coaches, and Board of Directors that worked as hard and as diligent as anyone else. All of us were in 110% but I added it to an already daunting schedule. My wife is finishing up her master’s from Wheaton College and I was in the 2nd year of a doctoral program that would require me to lock in so that I could finish.
The entire fall, as we were setting up the 501(c)3 to support Pups Sports, Inc. we were coaching, practicing, and playing in games. The kids are amazing and the program as a success. The families make these programs what they are, and the VB Pups was/is no different. In the coming month we are adding a 9U and 11U so in the fall of 2023, the program will double and have a 9U, 10U, 11U and 12U. It’s been greater than what we could have imagined. It’s an incredible success story that took a large team of committed people to make happen. The reason we built the program was for additional opportunity for kids who wanted to play Little League with their friends and high-level baseball that recreation leagues are unable to fully provide. That leads us to All-Stars and the reason we started the program.
Fast forward to now. It’s All-Star season and it’s in full swing. There are All-Star practices for my 10 year old (Rylan) and my 12 year old (Cayden). I’m coaching the 12U for All-Stars and our tournament is half over. Rylan plays for the District Championship tomorrow night. If all our kids win their District Championship and go to states, they both play 6+ hours away, Rylan will play the week before Cayden. So, for 2 weeks we will be on the road and in the middle of those 2 weeks Casey will be in Chicago for a seated portion of her master’s requirement. I am currently finishing up my last project for my doctorate and I started my portfolio project (culmination of everything I’ve done in the past 2 years), the classes overlap by 2 weeks, during the busiest time of year for baseball.
Why am I inundating you with this information? Because many of you are feeling the same way. How did we get here? How do we get out of here? I am overwhelmed and something must give! How do we deal with this. Here are the 2 ways I get through the times that seem to be more marathons than walks or springs.
1. Remember What God Spoke Then
Yes. I know that last year I heard God twice and I was in the 3rd base coaches box both times. God told me, “This is what I have!” He was specific about my involvement with baseball and that it was going to be in the forefront of the future. When God spoke that both Casey and I were already in our graduate degrees, pastored Palms Church, and were parenting 4 boys, one of which was entering the 6th grade. Nothing changed in what God asked me to do, He just added something that took more time than the rest of them.
2. Go Back to the Calling
If you’re not married, you can ignore this, or read it knowing you may need it. But, before going any further, the question is “What Does Your Praying Spouse Say?” The story is I was coaching in the 3rd base box both times that God spoke. What I didn’t know was that Casey was talking to God at the same time. We didn’t talk about our experiences until the state tournament was over. A few days after we arrived back in Virginia Beach, I told her about my experience. Both times that God spoke, it was right before we got a base hit to end the game. They were both walk offs by the same kid, it was unbelievable! When I shared that with Casey, she told me God spoke the same thing to her, both times. When you get into seasons where it seems daunting, go back to the calling.
The swirl is going to happen whether we are doing what God has asked or what we want. The difference is the peace and impact that follow what God asks. I have wanted to quit so many times in the last year (4,539) to be exact. However, I know what God spoke and I refuse to let up. If God knows I can do it, then I am going to outlast the fears and doubts to do it!
Isaiah 43:19, “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” God was speaking to a group of Israelites that had family die in the wilderness over a 40 year period of walking in circles. These same Israelites had family that marched around Jericho to see the walls fall. Now, they were the generation coming out of exile. What would make them think that their life was going to be any different? I’m sure they felt the swirl. We know they felt the swirl because the generation in front of them died in exile. But God told them that something new is happening and that He will do it! Don’t just hang on and hang in, God is doing something new, and it’s already begun. The swirl can feel a lot like you’re being flushed, or it can feel like the wild waterslide, you choose.
