Why I Never Played Softball

When I was nine years old I was hit in the face by a softball that bounced off of a dunk tank. I was standing pretty far away, too. I wasn't even watching the dunking. But its pretty much my life to be hit in the face by something unexpected, and usually its some kind of athletic ball. I remember turning and watching the bright yellow ball move towards me in slow motion. I remember feeling frozen in time, my feet heavy and immovable. I even remember the exact outfit I was wearing. I remember many things about that day, but I don't remember how my feet freed the cement grass, I don't remember how I got to the fire truck and played on the front fender. I don't even remember the actual impact of the ball.

I opened my eyes to see people standing all around me, they seemed almost caked in makeup that make the details of their faces disappear. I remember I said something about them wearing makeup and we all laughed. When my vision cleared up, the first person I saw was my dad. I also saw the rest of the volunteer firefighters surrounding me. They had lifted me onto the front end of the fire truck, and started cleaning up the blood  on my face and on my clothes. I never did get the blood out of that shirt, and I never really was sure if I passed out or just fell down from the impact of the softball. All I know is that the memory of that strange event has stuck with me.

Thankfully, my nose was only bruised. By some miracle of God, I didn't have a broken nose and there was no medical emergency. I think my favorite part of the memory is that I was so quickly taken care of. I don't remember being scared at all. The volunteer firefighters and EMTs were people I had trusted all my life, and I had my dad. Even though I was hit in the face by a ricache softball, I wasn't afraid and I didn't need to be.

It might have been a freak accident that I couldn't prepare for, but the right people were there at the right time. When I was nine, I thought nothing of the experience except for the fact that it hurt and I was accident prone. I had no idea that it would still have significance thirteen years later. I look back at that memory and I'm in awe of how peaceful I felt. I'm thankful that I opened my eyes to see people I trusted. I'm thankful that it was just a bruise, and I'm thankful my dad was there to comfort me and pick me up.

This event is such a clear picture of how God works in our lives. Sometimes we get hit by something unexpected. We go through trials we never saw coming, and we fall down. We get scratched, burned, bruised, and broken. We can't avoid trial, and troubles will never just pass us by. That doesn't mean that God is evil for letting bad things happen, it doesn't mean He has forsaken you. Just like my dad and the firefighters were there to pick me up and carry me to safety, Jesus never leaves us and will pick us up when we fall. I had to completely depend on my dad and the rest of the volunteers to make sure I was okay. Trials and troubles teach me to lean into Jesus. God does not let us walk through fire alone, He is always right next to us.

When you feel like its one of those days where you've been hit by a softball smack in the nose, lean into Jesus. Let him carry you. Let him give you peace. Let him comfort you. Maybe your softball experience will stick with you and one day you can tell your story to encourage someone else. Remember, trials are just bruises, not broken bones. They don't last forever. You might never get the blood stain out of your shirt, but thats okay. Let your trials change you and shape you. God uses our pain to refine our faith and make our love for him deeper. Get rid of that old shirt, He has given you a brand new one, clean and without blemish. He has made you new. He will never allow trials in your life without teaching you to love Him more.

He has a plan, a plan to help you and not to hurt you. From the outside, trials look like they have no purpose and stand alone outside of God's plan, but that point of view is all wrong. Trials are pivotal pieces of God's perfect plan. Trials are necessary events that make us more like Jesus. Being a follower of Jesus is not a cake walk by any means. But life without Jesus is far more difficult. Because I follow Jesus, I can have confidence that my softball in the face moments have purpose and that God is by my side.

Perhaps if you aren't currently being hit smack in the nose by a softball right now. Maybe you are in the right place at the right time. Just maybe God has a purpose for placing you in a certain season of life so you can help someone up when they fall.

No matter where you are in this story, whether you're on the fender of the firetruck or someone standing by for help, your life matters. You have purpose. God wants you, and He loves you. You are inherently valuable, remember that.



P.S. There is a reason I never played softball like my sisters....now you know why.