The Value of Hard Work
Hard work is worthwhile,
but empty talk will make you poor.
Proverbs 14:23 (CEV)
THE VALUE OF HARD WORK
I spend a fair amount of my spare time on the baseball field as an umpire these days. In now my sixth year as “Blue,” I have called nearly 700 games, the vast majority of them for boys between ages 9-18. In having played the game for 15 years, coaching it for another 15 years, and now umpiring for six more, it is easy to determine during pre-game warm-ups who has been preparing for the game, and who hasn’t.
With travel baseball now being so prevalent – and especially at the younger age groups, it’s rare to see “good baseball” at the recreational level. By age 9, nearly all the kids with talent have moved away from the rec level. With the better players moving on, that also means their parents – and subsequently, the better coaches – are not there to help kids improve their skills. After all, improving in anything takes TIME. And, from what I am seeing most evenings, youth baseball players are not devoting extra time to becoming the best they could be.
I was working a 14U game last week at a local park. I told my partner, who was working behind the plate, that the Home team was likely to get run-ruled based on seeing them just walking out onto the field. Players had no pep in their step, the coach was disorganized, and several of their jerseys were untucked and hats were askew. It was evident these kids hat little confidence, and it showed. Further, it was clear they had not put much time into improving their skills on the field. Often times, our outward appearance is a reflection of how we see ourselves – and this was no exception.
The visiting team scored seven runs in the top of the first inning. They scored another six runs in the second inning. As we began the third inning, the score was 13-7. Thirty minutes into the top of the third, the score was 20-7, and the Home team had failed to record an out! They had changed pitchers twice, and my partner expanded his strike zone in hopes of helping “move the game along.” To no avail. Exasperated, he called timeout, and walked out to confer with me.
“What’s going on here?!?!” he lamented. “How much time is left in the game?”
“Time expired ten minutes ago,” I replied. “I’m not sure why we’re still out here. The Home team clearly doesn’t want to be here, and they can’t get anybody out.”
“Let’s talk to the coaches and see what they want to do,” he said.
So, we called the coach for each team over, bluntly shared what our feelings were about the game, and asked if they wanted to continue. I explained that there was a “drop dead” time when the game would have to end – and that was 12 minutes away.
“Well, let’s play it out,” the Home coach said – much to our dismay, as well as every other spectator!
Whether it’s your sport, your career, your academics, your yard work, or your relationships – HARD WORK is important! Not only that, it is an obvious reflection of your character to others who are watching. There are numerous examples in scripture of people who failed to work hard, who ended up regretting their slothfulness.
Don’t be lazy. Prioritize hard work, and reap the rewards!
C.A. Phillips has served on staff at NorthStar Church since 2004, and has more than 35 years of baseball experience as a player, coach, and umpire. He and his wife, Amy, have two adult sons and live in Kennesaw with their German Shepherd, Abby.
