Facing Temptation
Illustration
Stories
Jack swung at the ball and missed again.
“Bobby, give us a minute, will you?” Coach Pat said to the pitcher on the mound. He motioned for Sam who was waiting in the on-deck circle. “Take your turn and make sure you watch before you swing. Jack, come with me for a second.”
Jack followed Coach toward the dugout.
“What’s the matter, Jack?”
“Sorry.” Jack shrugged. “I guess I’m having trouble hitting today.”
“No, even on your worst day you hit better at practice than this.” Coach gestured for him to sit on the bench and then sat next to him. “What’s going on?”
“Just stuff on my mind I guess.”
“What stuff?”
Jack sighed. “I guess I’m feeling the pressure.”
“Pressure?” Coach frowned. “What do you mean? We haven’t even started the season or even played an exhibition game.”
“I know, it’s just I don’t want to let everyone down.”
“You feel as the star player that if you don’t do everything right then you’re letting everyone else down?”
Jack looked down at his feet. “Yeah.”
“Ah.” Coach rubbed his chin. “You know I played in the majors, right?”
“Yeah, I mean we all know that you played ball at this college and then got drafted into the minors and then called up for a few seasons before...”
“— before I got injured,” Coach Pat finished. “Do you know what I learned in my time playing before big crowds with the television cameras on you?”
“What?”
“That everyone makes mistakes. We all mess up.”
“Everyone?”
“Yeah, everyone. It was the bottom of the ninth and we’re up by one run, the bases are loaded with two out and the batter slams one up right to me deep in left field.” Coach sighed. “It hits my glove and rolls onto the field. They won and that play still bothers me to this day.”
“Yeah, that would be hard.” Jack narrowed his eyes. “Did that really happen?”
“If you go on YouTube I bet you can find clips of that error and some of my other embarrassing mistakes,” Coach said. “We all mess up. What matters is what you do when you mess up.”
“You keep going, right?” Jack asked.
“You do plus you learn from your mistakes.” Coach looked over at Jack. “Did you go to chapel this morning?”
Jack nodded. “I was late, but I made it there.”
“The pastor preached on the story of Jesus being tempted from the first of Mark’s Gospel. Remember him saying that the lesson didn’t tell what tempted Jesus?”
Jack nodded again. “Yeah, just that he was tempted.”
“Right. Given all that Jesus was going to do in his life I think that some of those temptations were about him not being good enough, or skilled enough, or able in any way to do what God had put him on earth to do.” Coach paused for a moment. “Jesus gets told at his baptism that he is the chosen of God and then the doubts start. He has to wrestle with them in the desert.”
“I guess I can relate to that. You’re told that you’re good enough and special and then you start to wonder if you really are and if you can do what others think you are able to do.” Jack sighed. “But the gospel doesn’t tell us what Jesus did to overcome the temptation to doubt himself.”
“Sure it does. The gospel says that the wild animals and the angels attended him.” Coach looked out at the team practicing on the field. “I’m not sure which team mates are, but you know they are behind you, right?”
Jack looked out at the young men who were not merely on his team but were his friends as well. “Yeah, I know they do.”
“Then let them help you through this slump. Keep praying, keep being a follower of Jesus and the path that you need to take will open up before you.”
Jack frowned. “What if playing ball isn’t my path in life?”
“Then you’ll discover the even better thing that God has in store for you. When I blew my elbow, I thought my life was over.” Coach stretched his arm. “But you know I like coaching better than playing.”
Jack looked up at him. “Really?”
“Don’t get me wrong - I loved playing.” Coach smiled for a moment. “But when I’m working with a team and everything comes together there is nothing like it.”
Jack considered the older man for a few moments. “Thanks Coach, I appreciate it. Can I try batting again now?”
Coach Pat looked over at Sam at the plate. ‘Can you see what Sam is doing wrong?”
Jack watched his teammate swing and miss another pitch. “He’s swinging just as the pitcher releases. He needs to wait for a second or two.”
“Go tell him and then wait until he gets it right, okay?”
Jack raced off and as the young man was talking to the other player showing him what he should do Coach Pat smiled. He knew he was blessed to be able to do what he loved at this college and to help the young men become not merely better players, but better people.
“Bobby, give us a minute, will you?” Coach Pat said to the pitcher on the mound. He motioned for Sam who was waiting in the on-deck circle. “Take your turn and make sure you watch before you swing. Jack, come with me for a second.”
Jack followed Coach toward the dugout.
“What’s the matter, Jack?”
“Sorry.” Jack shrugged. “I guess I’m having trouble hitting today.”
“No, even on your worst day you hit better at practice than this.” Coach gestured for him to sit on the bench and then sat next to him. “What’s going on?”
“Just stuff on my mind I guess.”
“What stuff?”
Jack sighed. “I guess I’m feeling the pressure.”
“Pressure?” Coach frowned. “What do you mean? We haven’t even started the season or even played an exhibition game.”
“I know, it’s just I don’t want to let everyone down.”
“You feel as the star player that if you don’t do everything right then you’re letting everyone else down?”
Jack looked down at his feet. “Yeah.”
“Ah.” Coach rubbed his chin. “You know I played in the majors, right?”
“Yeah, I mean we all know that you played ball at this college and then got drafted into the minors and then called up for a few seasons before...”
“— before I got injured,” Coach Pat finished. “Do you know what I learned in my time playing before big crowds with the television cameras on you?”
“What?”
“That everyone makes mistakes. We all mess up.”
“Everyone?”
“Yeah, everyone. It was the bottom of the ninth and we’re up by one run, the bases are loaded with two out and the batter slams one up right to me deep in left field.” Coach sighed. “It hits my glove and rolls onto the field. They won and that play still bothers me to this day.”
“Yeah, that would be hard.” Jack narrowed his eyes. “Did that really happen?”
“If you go on YouTube I bet you can find clips of that error and some of my other embarrassing mistakes,” Coach said. “We all mess up. What matters is what you do when you mess up.”
“You keep going, right?” Jack asked.
“You do plus you learn from your mistakes.” Coach looked over at Jack. “Did you go to chapel this morning?”
Jack nodded. “I was late, but I made it there.”
“The pastor preached on the story of Jesus being tempted from the first of Mark’s Gospel. Remember him saying that the lesson didn’t tell what tempted Jesus?”
Jack nodded again. “Yeah, just that he was tempted.”
“Right. Given all that Jesus was going to do in his life I think that some of those temptations were about him not being good enough, or skilled enough, or able in any way to do what God had put him on earth to do.” Coach paused for a moment. “Jesus gets told at his baptism that he is the chosen of God and then the doubts start. He has to wrestle with them in the desert.”
“I guess I can relate to that. You’re told that you’re good enough and special and then you start to wonder if you really are and if you can do what others think you are able to do.” Jack sighed. “But the gospel doesn’t tell us what Jesus did to overcome the temptation to doubt himself.”
“Sure it does. The gospel says that the wild animals and the angels attended him.” Coach looked out at the team practicing on the field. “I’m not sure which team mates are, but you know they are behind you, right?”
Jack looked out at the young men who were not merely on his team but were his friends as well. “Yeah, I know they do.”
“Then let them help you through this slump. Keep praying, keep being a follower of Jesus and the path that you need to take will open up before you.”
Jack frowned. “What if playing ball isn’t my path in life?”
“Then you’ll discover the even better thing that God has in store for you. When I blew my elbow, I thought my life was over.” Coach stretched his arm. “But you know I like coaching better than playing.”
Jack looked up at him. “Really?”
“Don’t get me wrong - I loved playing.” Coach smiled for a moment. “But when I’m working with a team and everything comes together there is nothing like it.”
Jack considered the older man for a few moments. “Thanks Coach, I appreciate it. Can I try batting again now?”
Coach Pat looked over at Sam at the plate. ‘Can you see what Sam is doing wrong?”
Jack watched his teammate swing and miss another pitch. “He’s swinging just as the pitcher releases. He needs to wait for a second or two.”
“Go tell him and then wait until he gets it right, okay?”
Jack raced off and as the young man was talking to the other player showing him what he should do Coach Pat smiled. He knew he was blessed to be able to do what he loved at this college and to help the young men become not merely better players, but better people.
