Failing at Lent? You’re doing just fine

Our seventh grader used to love playing baseball. It was his sport.

Then COVID hit, and we lost baseball—first one season, then another, and then another. When our son could have returned to it last spring, he wasn’t interested, and we let it be.

Just another thing we’ve lost through the pandemic, I thought.

Then this year—four years later—the opportunity to try out for a team came up, and my son said he wanted to go. He knew it was a longshot. He knew he was rusty. He knew that other players had stronger skills and much more experience. But he decided to try.

I was so proud of him. I didn’t care whether he made the team. I cared that he would feel good about how he did. I wanted him to be happy he had given it a shot. And I loved how our family rallied around him.

My husband made sure he had a glove that fit, and he went with him to buy a new bat and helmet. His godfather and one of his cousins took him to a field to practice batting and catching. The night of the tryout, our son seemed so mature as he headed out the door with his dad. He didn’t think he would make the team, but he was going to give it a shot.

I couldn’t have been prouder. And I’ve been thinking there’s a lesson there for me.

Finding Your Footing This Lent

Watching our son take on this challenge with such maturity, grace, and resilience made me think about my feeble attempts on this Lenten journey.

Just a few days into Lent, I would never be picked for any Lenten all-star team. I’ve made so many mistakes. I’m struggling to find my rhythm, and it would be easy to feel discouraged.

But I have been thinking that God is probably watching us tackle Lent the way I’m watching my baseball player. He knows we might not feel we are at the top of our game. He loves that we’re trying. He smiles seeing us wake up each morning and start again. He is cheering us on even if we feel we’re failing in small and big ways. He is proud to see us making the effort, wanting to be fully on his team.

He loves us so fully, so completely, and so deeply. And he is with us, even when we’re falling short again and again. He’s even outfitting us for the journey ahead in ways we might not be able to see.

Put Me in, Coach

Our son didn’t make the baseball team, but he is looking forward to playing on a regular rec league team this spring. And it will be so good to see him back on the field, hitting and fielding and making new friends.

I can’t wait to see how the season unfolds. And I look forward to seeing what this Lent holds for each of us.

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