All of us have had the experience of something not quite working out the way it was supposed to.  It could be a career move or a relationship.  Maybe it was a business investment or a new church.  Let’s face it, sometimes we just swing and miss…

When this happens, we can get down on ourselves or others.  It can be easy to get the idea that there’s something wrong with us when we mess up or have a major disappointment in life, but I doubt that this reaction will help us get back on track.    The kid in this picture just missed a pretty sweet pitch; you’ve got to drive that one!  Being a kid that young, it might have been easy for him to be discouraged…

Here’s Paul’s advice for this young hitter:

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Phil. 3:13-14

When we have a disappointment or a failure, we need to forget what was behind and press on to the goal, just as an athlete must when he has a disappointing performance.  We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and press on, forgiving ourselves and others who might have hurt us along the way.

As for our young hitter, he didn’t waste any time being upset about missing a fat pitch:

No sir, he sent a little present smoking past the pitcher and eventually came around to score a run.  Oh, we can learn from his example!