FOUL BALLS, FURNITURE, HEARTS & ROCKETS

There are no records kept for foul balls during a single time at bat, but there is one unusual record in this particular category that is unlikely to be broken.

Philadelphia outfielder, Richie Ashburn, who played from 1948-62, was known for his ability to hit multiple foul balls. During one at-bat in Philadelphia, he fouled an amazing 14 pitches!

One of the foul balls struck a woman in the stands; breaking her nose. And then, while she was being carried off on a stretcher, she was hit by a second foul ball from the same player!

Speaking of foul balls, in the current Major League Baseball playoff games, and on the third pitch, one of the players, (I don’t have his name at my disposal at the moment) began to hit foul balls that would go on for the space of something like six or seven swings. Ultimately, he managed to hit a homerun.

My former co-counselor life’s motto is,

“If every time I fall down, I get right back up, I only get a little stronger.”

I expect the two major league baseball players whom I alluded to would ‘second’ that mindset. Of course, the latter of the two fouled one ball after another until that magical toss when he hit a homerun.

My wife and I love the TV series, “Barnwood Builders.” A recent program followed several of the builders as they were on sabbatical.

One of the men, we’ll call him, “Henry,” enjoys making furniture during his off hours. As he was building a corner display case, I was struck by something he said.

“I’ve found out that it’s okay to turn out several pieces of undesirable, flawed furniture, since I manage to learn from my mistakes, and eventually I build a masterpiece.”

Pt. 2

Foul balls and Furniture

I think there’s a lesson here; one which some people never seem to learn. I think too many people are prone to give up on their dreams; when a little more time and effort would have won the day.

I mean where would be today if Dr. Christiaan Barnard had given up after his first heart transplant patient died a few days after his ground-breaking surgery? Certainly not in the midst of  revolutionary progress in the science of transplant surgery. And where would we be today if Robert Goddard had stepped away from his experimentation on rockets simply because a few of them blew up in flight? Certainly not preparing to establish a manned base on the moon, and rolling robotic explorers all over the red planet.

And it occurs to me that persistence goes far beyond foul balls, furniture, hearts and rockets. I mean, it can get pretty personal.

Where would I be today if my spiritual father, Rev. William Kirschke, had quit preaching simply because the first person he witnessed to called him a “holy roller”? Certainly not counseling and mentoring clients, students and interns to the tune of thousands over the past three decades.

While I can’t “buy into” the old adage, “It’s always too soon to quit,” since there is a time and place to quit doing what is very unlikely to work, or to surrender one’s dream, if one determines it was never God’s dream in the first place, or if the guy or gal who dreams realizes they have neither the time, talent or the training to pursue it any further.

Pt. 3

What, after all, intrudes on our ability to pursue our dreams when we experience one or two initial failures?

I think more often than not, we are too prone to give in to our emotions. Fear, anxiety, confusion or depression can limit our wherewithal to fulfill the dreams with which God has inspired us. I think a significant number of believers, and unbelievers, alike, are, “I don’t feel like it people.” We allow our feelings to inhibit our potential when we might very well have been on the brink of success.

A singular, goal-oriented, person of excellence has the internal fortitude and wherewithal to see the future, and to pursue it to its natural end; in spite of “a few blips on the chart.”

 

What dream has God set in your heart? How many times have you failed when just a whisker from sweet success? How often have you allowed feelings to hinder God’s best and brightest plans for your life? What have you learned from your failures, and what is still left to be done?

I cannot help but think of the ball player who hit one foul ball after another, but who went on to hit a homerun. I cannot help but think of the builder who experienced a few failures, but who went on to build an excellent piece of furniture.

“If every time I fall down, I get right back up, I only get a little stronger.”

by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending

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