The Glory Days of Church Softball

I remember an old trophy case in one of the hallways where I used to go to church.  Church members walked by it every sunday but never really paid it any mind.  It contained dusty plaques, ribbons and trophies from years gone by.  Mostly won by golf groups and bible verse memorizers.

It was a monument to the men and women who competed in the name of the church.  All of the awards in that case had a special meaning for someone.  But there was one trophy in that case that stood out to me more than the others.  It was the 1998, church softball league championship trophy and it was something that I and my teammates fought hard to win.

It seems like a lifetime ago since we made it to the show and won that championship.  That season was wonderful.  We were virtually unbeatable.  We made it to the title game with ease but it was a long road to get there.

For years prior we toiled in mediocrity.  There were seasons that we finished in the cellar and then there were years that we barely made it to a five hundred record.  And when we did do well, we were always one or two games short of being in the title game.

Our team consisted of a handful of weekend warriors.  Normal men who had normal lives.  There were no all stars.  Only ordinary guys who had only a hint of athletic ability but an insatiable desire to win.

The core players on our team, the ones who came back year after year, knew what it took to win.  We showed up for every game because we knew every game counted.  We played with an intensity of a major league baseball team that was three games out of first with four games left to play.  We played with urgency.

In the summer of 1998, our true team finally came together.  Gone were the players who were only in it for the fellowship, the ones who didn’t care if we won or lost.  We filled our holes with players who could match our competitive fire.  Those who brought it during every game.    We became a team in every sense of the word.  We gelled together.  We fought together and we won… together.

There is much to be said about a group of people who want to accomplish a singular goal.  They become a force to be reckoned with.  We aren’t equipped to make it through this life alone.  God didn’t make us that way.

In order to succeed, you require a team, a support system.  People who can help you.  People who believe.  Encouragers, cheerleaders, a tribe.  It’s impossible to turn a 6,4,3 double play by yourself.

Who is helping you get to where you want to be?  Who are you helping?