Lessons from Baseball

My mother told me as I hung up the phone, "You'll love Little League. They run in a group, don't know where to go and can't pay attention long enough to catch the ball. It's very entertaining!" Boy, was her assessment right on the money. Today while watching Zachary's first coach-pitch baseball game, I figured out that baseball AND teamwork are learned skills. Zachary scored a point for the Dragons as they managed to take the win over the Maroon Rangoons. My mother's words echoed in my ears as I watched the "team" scramble like ants toward the ball. At one point, two kids on the SAME team were actually fighting over the ball. Do we do this in the Church? Do we fight over the ball out of pride, self-importance, or because we just don't think the other guy is doing a good enough job? The second flaw my mother had pointed out was not knowing where to go. During the game, I noticed that the kids who were actually listening to the coaches did a better job at running in the correct direction. Maybe we should listen to our Church coaches. We would be more likely to run in the correct direction. Lastly, the kids would get bored, start looking around and not be ready for the ball. At the beginning of the game, they were paying attention and ready for their moment to shine. Towards the end of the game, the noonday sun, boredom and diminished expectation of action caused them to be less diligent. We are the choice spirits reserved for these Latter Days amongst unspeakable amounts of distraction. Let us not miss our shining moment due to a lack of diligence.

Rachel Roark