On the Riverton High School baseball team, we talked about what it meant to have a "quality at-bat". There are several ways that a batter can have a quality at-bat. They are: 1. Any kind of hit 2. Get on base (walk, hit by pitch, etc) 3. 6 or more pitches in the at-bat 4. Do a job (sacrifice bunt, squeeze, sacrifice fly, hit and run, move a runner, etc) 5. Hard hit ball. If a team can have all of it's players focused on getting quality at-bats, then their success rate will go up. I have seen far too many players who have a bad attitude about laying down a sacrifice bunt for their team. Instead of doing what's best for the team, they'd rather go up to the plate and be the hero with a big hit. Even though the coach knows that you are capable of getting a hit, sometimes he needs you to lay a bunt down and move the runner up a base. During most my time at Riverton High School, I hit third in the lineup. Despite being in this position in the lineup, I led the team in sacrifice bunts in two separate seasons. We had a good duo of hitters in front of me, and they were often on base when I came up in the first inning. Our coaches knew that I could get a bunt down, so they called on me to do it often. As a result, the fourth hitter behind me got a lot of RBI's. For our team, this meant that we were able to score in the first inning frequently. For me, I had the satisfaction of knowing that I was able to contribute to those runs. Selfish mentalities can plague a team faster than almost anything else. CHOOSE TO BE A TEAM PLAYER.
In the church there are many callings where members are able to serve in, ranging from worldwide leadership to being in charge of teaching a class of 8 or so kids. Just like on a baseball team, we can choose to be a team player. No calling is more important than another in the service of God. When we magnify our callings, we are showing God that we sustain our church leaders and that we trust that He put us in that specific calling. As Sunday School teachers, it is important to love and pray for each individual member of your class. Help them realize that you love them by showing interest in their extra-curricular activities and attending those events. As a high school baseball player, I specifically remember my young men leaders who came to at least one of my games. I was happy to see them in the stands and I was excited to talk about my games with them on Sundays before class.
In this comparison, my main focus that I wanted to talk about was using our agency for the betterment of the team. In gospel terms: Use your agency, that God has given you, to turn your life over to God. This doesn't mean that He will make decisions for you, because He trusts us with our agency, but it does mean that we can show our love for Him by keeping His commandments. He wants every single one of His children to return to Him. Make sure that YOU are your strongest convert to God. Trust God, know that He lives, and know that He loves and knows you personally.
Picture taken from lds.org
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