Written by Jack Torpey, former 12th Rock alumni

One of the many blessings of my childhood was the experience that I had playing sports. From the age of two, I had a baseball glove on my hand and a hat on my head. I played that game nonstop for nearly two decades, and it brought me so much joy. Basketball was also a fixture in my life for many years. Looking back, I realize just how many of my best memories with my friends occurred on the court. Playing sports as a little boy and then as a young man kept me healthy, taught me the value of teamwork, and honed athletic talent that developed my self-confidence. It was also just plain fun. Now that my playing days are behind me, however, I sense that the lasting impact of youth sports on my life will not be at all related to the wins that I enjoyed or the losses that I endured. Rather, I believe that my time as an athlete will shape my future through the most important lesson that I learned from growing up playing sports: how to trust in Christ.

Every athlete deals with nerves. The desire to perform well in competition often coexists with the fear of failure, which can cripple even the most gifted player if it is not confronted and overcome. I would often become nervous before baseball games in middle and high school, worrying about whether I would be able to make the plays in the field or get a hit at the plate. Unchecked, this anxiety would manifest itself in my performance. I was always a strong infielder, but there were times when fielding the most routine groundball would feel like an impossible task. As any athlete who has struggled with performance anxiety can attest to, all the passion that brought you to the game in the first place is wiped out when your focus is on not making a mistake instead of playing the best you can. Fortunately, I had a long, successful, and happy career as a young athlete despite the nervousness that I often felt. How I did so was a matter of faith.

My relationship with Jesus was the source of the strength and confidence that allowed me to be the baseball and basketball player that I wanted to be. Before every game, I would pray to Jesus and share my thoughts and feelings with Him, asking for the grace to play well and the courage to let go of any fear that tried to stop me. He answered every time. Yes, I would sometimes make errors and strike out, and some of those mistakes would be caused by anxiety. But on the whole, grounding myself in prayer and trusting Christ to lead me forward gave me the freedom to play hard, play fast, and not stop to worry, “What if I mess up?” And when you’re playing freely, you’re playing well. I had two great seasons of junior varsity baseball, starting at shortstop and batting in the middle of the order. Then, at the varsity level, I was the starting second baseman on a team that reached the sectional championship. These three seasons were the highlights of my youth sports experience, and I would have never played as well or had as much fun as I did without Jesus.

I’m much more of a spectator than a participant when it comes to sports these days. I still get nervous, but now the cause is Aaron Judge’s and the Yankees’ performance, not mine. As I continue to grow, though, there will be new situations in which I will personally face the fear of failure. And because of what Jesus taught me about trusting Him on the playing field, I know that I will succeed on the field of life, too. I had the privilege of playing for a number of great coaches over the years. There is no question, however, that He is the greatest.