“Keep getting up to the plate and swinging the bat. You may strike out, but one day, you’ll hit a home run.”
My dad used to say these words when I was little and playing ball, but he still shares them with me now that I am grown. Striking out was only one of many life lessons I learned about defeat. As an adult, I understand the importance of reflecting on defeat.
Some days, I feel as if I am standing at the plate and swinging the bat with all my might, but I continue to strike out. Why? I practice. I work hard. Yet I experience one disappointment after another. That’s strike three. When our goals seem out of reach, we wonder why we still stand at the plate.
Therein lies the answer. We are still standing. Possibilities abound. Another day to swing the bat. After all, isn’t anything worth having, worth fighting for? We may be afflicted and perplexed, but we don’t have to despair. We may be persecuted, but we are not forsaken or defeated.
Sure, I have struck out many times, but I have also hit home runs. If I had quit swinging the bat, I may have missed out on key moments of my life, my “highlight reel.”
God has given us a spirit of courage and the invitation to call on Him when fear overtakes us. We can swing our bats confidently because, when His timing is perfect, we’ll hit that home run. Guess Daddy was right, after all.
When you strike out, step back up to the plate and swing again.
Shannon Clark is a teacher, wife, and mom from Kentucky. She has been writing for her whole life. Until now, she has rarely shared her writings or experiences outside her family.