Lauren's Journal « First-Year Student Journals

Red Shirting

November 4, 2005 | 0 comments

This month, field practice began. After a month of conditioning on a daily basis (which I was certain would kill me), we got the opportunity to put on our gear and play, both at practice and in a few pre-season games. I am on the Biola Softball team as a red-shirt. While I have played softball for over ten years, these past two months have been unlike any other softball experience I have ever had. With Tuesday morning workouts beginning bright and early at 6 am, it's easy to see that your team is dedicated, both to each other and to the sport.

Throughout most of my softball career I have been on top, whether that was making All Stars back in rec. ball or making All-League in high school. Now things have been turned around on me. I remember praying at the end of my senior year that God would teach me humility through softball, and now it would seem that I am getting exactly what I asked for. It's hard to start from scratch whenever you join a new team. You have to get to know the girls inside and out. You need to know their abilities in order to have confidence in them. Plus, you need to figure out how they play as a whole. Getting to know this team was an awesome experience. They are all amazing athletes with a great love for God which inspires me on and off the field. There is so much that I get to learn from them and from Coach every day that I take the field.

When I say that I am a red-shirt, people usually react in one of two ways. Most people usually stare at me strangely until I explain that red-shirting means that I work with the team for a year without playing games and without it counting against my eligibility. The other people stare at me like I have gone insane. They see it as hard work with no reward, yet I am being rewarded daily through my experiences with the team. Each practice serves as a lesson in some aspect of softball. Even at games, when I am usually found warming up pitchers in the bullpen, I get that time to spend working on my mechanics as a catcher.

Personally, I am not very motivational. It's difficult for me to work on something alone for a long period of time outside of school work. But now I have a chance to work on the gifts God has given me while being cheered on my teammates. It is exciting to see the progress I and the other girls are making. While we are all learning plenty during the season, I am excited that I get an entire year to work on every detail of my abilities before having to lay it all on the line during a game.

Last year, when I told people that I was praying for humility, most replied with "be careful what you wish for". But I couldn't be happier. When I am having a hard day I am encouraged by my teammates and the fact that God is answering my prayers.

Colossians 3:23 states, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Five or more days a week I work with a group of girls who practice and play hard as they live out this verse. I do the same alongside them, whether that be consecutively warming up several pitchers or cheering on a teammate who is in the field or up to bat. I feel just as much a part of the team as anyone else, whether I am able to play or not. I am still practicing and working for God so that when the time comes for me to step out on the field, I can do so with confidence in my abilities and the work He has done in my life to get me there.