ritchiemiller.org

When I was seven years old my family moved from North Carolina to Spartanburg, South Carolina. My dad’s job moved us there and we lived there for two years before we moved back to North Carolina. My mom wanted to make the transition smoother and she did everything in her power to help me meet new friends. We were there less than a week before she signed me up to try out for a little league baseball team.

I was nervous because I was a total stranger and I had never played baseball before. Playing catch in my back yard was about the extent of my experience. I met the coach and the very first thing he did was put me at home plate to see if I could hit the ball. The pitcher looked to be much older and bigger than I was. I am pretty sure that you should not be allowed to pitch in little league if you have a full beard. He wound up and threw a pitch that zoomed by me at about half the speed of light. It came up and in on me so I flinched a little. I am not sure how I ended up halfway down the third base line because it only felt like a little flinch.

I will never forget what the coach said next. He yelled at me to stop being a “fraidy-cat” and told the pitcher that if I flinched again to hit me with the ball on the next pitch.

I never played baseball again.

I have played a lot of sports competitively or recreationally: basketball, football, soccer, track, softball, racquetball, water skiing, snow skiing, cross country and have been bungee jumping and cliff diving. Even though I was never very good at any of them I loved the competition and the adrenaline rush. I am not trying to suggest that it was a great loss for me never to have played baseball. I can assure you that I have a much better chance of being the starting point guard for the Atlanta Hawks at age 45 than I ever did of being good at baseball. (Just in case you missed the satirical hypothetical I have a zero percent chance of playing for the Atlanta Hawks…unless they are looking for someone who is old, slow, and can’t jump, shoot, pass, dribble, rebound, or play defense)

My point is that your words have power. They can build up, inspire, and give confidence or they can tear down, cause fear, and crush someone’s dreams. Use them wisely today.

Ephesians 4:29 Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Ritchie