Today I had the opportunity to have lunch with a very dear friend of mine. We had some great conversation about so many things but much of it pertained to the experiences of the last few months. My friend has played a very important role in the healing process and has made such a difference in my life with amazing advice and a point of view that sometimes I am unable to see on my own. We talked about faith and focus and trusting in God and his plan. I was driving home tonight and doing some thinking and something really hit me. There is a saying that I like to use with our players about playing the game of baseball. It goes like this. The art of hitting a baseball is very simple, it just isn’t very easy. Sometimes people want to turn it into “rocket surgery” (I think they meant “rocket science” or perhaps “brain surgery” lol) but it is really about simplifying and focusing on the few things that truly matter. Well life, it seems to me, is very much the same story. When you think about it, life is quite simple, it just isn’t easy. Life is going to throw us some curveballs and we are going to be faced with temptations but if we can just accept that things happen for a reason and that God has a plan for each of us if we just trust him, then things can become so much more simple. That can be one big “if” at certain times in our lives and that’s exactly what makes life not so easy. It can be tough at times to have faith when everything seems to be going wrong and all you seem to feel is pain. The thing is this, that’s when you have to have the most faith and trust. Seems kinda simple doesn’t it? As simple as that is, it’s not easy to do because life can present us with so many temptations for temporary satisfaction and it’s easy to give in to them. We give in because we’ll do anything to not feel the pain for just a little while. Just so we can be distracted from the difficulties that life has handed us. The only problem with that strategy is that soon that temporary satisfaction wears off and we’re right back to where we started. I feel like everything that I have been through recently has been a blessing in disguise. I can admit that it has been the hardest thing I have ever had to go through but I believe that everything happens for a reason. I believe that God has a plan for me and he was looking out for me. I know that I am a better person now than I was at the beginning of this whole thing. I know that I’m stronger and more confident in myself than ever before. I know I have learned to value my friendships more. I could go on and on about all the things I’ve learned and all the differences I feel in my heart but the point is just that if we leave things in God’s hands life becomes much easier. My friend said it so well. Sometimes you just gotta say “ok God, I’m looking atcha and I’m gonna trust ya. Whatcha got for me?”
