Sunshine vs Rain

 

 

 

SUNSHINE VS RAIN

 

Location:

Proverbs 17:22  A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

 

Headline:

"I can't play being mad. I go out there and have fun. It's a game, and that's how I am going to treat it."

Ken Griffey Jr. (one of the most prolific home run hitters in baseball history)

Game Summary:

As an assistant coach on my daughters 14&u Shockers softball team, we had a player everyone called “Sunshine”.  I really don’t think I even knew her real name was Kirstin, until way into the season, because “Sunshine” was all I heard.

I remember the first time I saw her make a mistake. Instead of getting mad or putting her head down, she just put on this big smile  like she had just hit a homerun or thrown out the other team’s fastest runner.  I have to admit I was a bit taken aback by this and really thought,  “Why are you smiling?  You just missed a ball you should have gotten.”

The more I was around her, the more I began to understand this unique gift she had to laugh at herself.

It is rarely seen in competitive sports, but I begin to think how cool it would be if we could all just laugh off our mistakes. Sunshine wasn’t laughing because she was happy she had missed the ball, but rather to keep her spirits up for the next opportunity.  Maybe parents and coaches should approach the game with this mentality.  Instead of screaming negative comments that only embarrass and degrade the players, give them a smile and a “you can do it”.

Softball is a game of failure. It is vital to learn how to handle that or it will eat you up.  Confidence is knowing you have the ability to make every play or to get a hit every time, but it also knowing that you won’t. You can’t expect 100% success.

Christians are often led to believe that we are not going to make many mistakes, so when we mess up, it is devastating.  The Bible is clear that we are ALL sinners, which means we will all make mistakes, so why not be prepared for them.  Now this is not an instruction manual telling you do something bad and then just laugh about it, but rather to keep things simple. When it comes to mistakes, learn to laugh at yourself, ask forgiveness and try not to do it again.

 

 

 

MVP:

Kirsten Goodman was a Shortstop for the 14 & Under,  USSSA C-State Runner Up, Seminole Shockers

 

Recap:

As a Christian Athlete, if we could adopt this attitude, how much more successful could we be-- both on and off the field?

The next time you mess up in practice or a game, try Sunshine’s approach and smile about it. How does that make you feel?

What things do we get upset about that are not that big of deal-- things that are really not that important, Things  that

we can smile and shrug our shoulders at….

Checkout Britt Nicole's song “Gold”.

Consider playing it as inspiration for this story.