I Need Someone To Coach Me!

Our youngest had always been a solid hitter for her softball team but something was wrong that tournament weekend.  She couldn’t get her bat to make contact with

that ball.  All the go-to people in her softball world were playing in a golf tournament and unavailable.  I was no help, I can’t tell a shoulder drop from a late swing.

“What am I doing wrong?” It was obvious that the frustration was threatening to spill over her lower eye-lids.

I offered a shoulder shrug and a head shake.  And that’s when I heard a statement so profound it resonates as clearly today as it did over a decade ago.

“I need someone to coach me!”

Of course! She needed someone who not only knew the game she was playing, but who had spent time observing her, would know her capabilities, and areas she tended to struggled in.

I could think of only one person that day who might be available to help.  One teammate’s dad was not there because of work, not golf.  I summoned my courage, which was bolstered by the defeated look in my daughter’s eyes, and we drove to his workplace.  We walked in and I explained our reason for bothering him at work.

He asked Rachel a couple questions and after hearing her answers simply said, “You’re swinging too early.  Relax and wait for it.”

She nodded her head and said, “You’re right!” And I watched defeat morph into realization.

We headed back to the tournament and sure enough, the slump was over.

When you’re in a slump, life isn’t working, and the harder you try the bigger the whiff,  do what all truly successful people have done. Find a coach.  Someone who can see what you cannot.

Our society is comfortable with the concept of coaching when it comes to sports, careers, and hobbies.  But in matters of lasting significance like relationship, personal and spiritual growth, we are less enthusiastic when it comes to getting help.   These are the same areas where we, as a nation, seem to experience the most strike-outs.  Maybe it’s time to find a person who knows the game we want to win at, has spent time observing us, knows our capabilities, and recognizes our areas of struggle.  Maybe then our personal, relational, and spiritual lives will begin to enjoy the satisfaction and success as have our career and leisure lives.