“Ogre” is Cameron’s nickname, affectionately given by his
teammates on the White County High School Warrior baseball team where I’m
honored to serve on the coaching staff. Why “Ogre?” It could be the 6 foot plus frame that looms
at you from first base or it might be the no-nonsense scowl he wears
consistently on the field. Yet I think
he’s given the moniker “Ogre” because everyone knew he had the potential to
blast two powerful homeruns in one game, wielding his bat like a deadly caveman
club. Thus we witnessed the heartwarming
progress toward the potential of Cameron Beasley on Tuesday night in Crossville
as the Warriors trounced district opponent Stone Memorial Panthers by a score
of 11-0. For a full recap of the game, visit the news section at www.wchswarriorsbaseball.com. But this message isn’t about baseball. It’s about
the need for teachers, coaches, and fathers to understand the often overlooked
concept of development.
Like many other men and women in my life, I’ve been guilty
of stifling development of young players like “Ogre”, students in my classroom,
and even my own children as I let my perfectionism and anger rule. Too often we adults get caught in poking,
prodding, and pushing children toward 100% achievement, acting as though
anything less than perfection is a failure.
I vividly remember standing in mom’s kitchen at 11 years old beaming
with joy as I proudly presented my report card filled with straight A’s. Back then, you had to achieve a 95% to gain
that prized letter grade, which is exactly what I received in math during that
6 week period of grading. Mom’s reply
quenched my proud fire and my intense desire to achieve when her only response
to my Dean’s List score was, “You can do better.”
Unfortunately, at times I’ve fallen guilty of expecting the
same perfection out of my own children.
Even more depressing is that I’ve witnessed my older children struggle
with the same perfectionistic treatment of their siblings. We’ve all seen that teacher who is impossible
to please unless you are hitting a perfect test score. Coaches consistently berate players, as they “just
want them to reach their potential.”
Parents give no praise for development but only criticize performance, making
that car ride away from games seem like forever in the eyes of a developing
child.
I wonder what would have happened to Peter, the great church
leader of the first century, if Jesus hadn’t recognized him as a developing
disciple in his three-year earthly ministry?
Would Peter have preached that life changing sermon on the day of
Pentecost (Acts 2) if Jesus would have scowled and berated him when he looked
that the wind and the waves and fearfully began to sink after walking on water
(Matthew 14:30)? Would Peter have faithfully
healed the lame man in the temple (Acts 3:7-11) if Jesus had severely punished
him for his denials (Luke 22:61) instead of using those mistakes for his
development (John 21:17)? Would Peter
have chosen to be something different than the peaceful apostle of Jesus Christ
(1 Peter 1:1) if Jesus had disavowed him rather than developing him for Peter’s
passionately mistaken rebuke of Jesus (Mark 8:32)? Yes, Peter made some big bumbling errors as
recorded in history by multiple witnesses, but Jesus knew how to best develop Peter
into the future church leader that has changed our lives today.
Here are a few development-focused ideas from the heart of a father, teacher,
and coach who is still developing toward my own potential.
1)
Just as Jesus knew that people are imperfect, so
we too need to remember that our young learners will make mistakes. Often we forget that we too missed some easy
problems on our math tests. Our vision
of days past are foggy as we forget that we were also kids who struggled with
our anger, our words, and our work-ethic.
Our remembrances often dwell on our glory days smacking homeruns, rather
than on our many groundouts, pop-flies, and strike outs that led to the monumental
moments. Don’t expect them to be
perfect, but do give them attainable goals of developing from their mistakes.
2)
Just as Jesus knew how to give appropriate praise
for small successes (remember Peter’s proclamation in Matthew 16:16), so we too
need to weigh carefully our criticisms and praises. The Harvard Business
Review found that the highest performing teams give each other more than
five positive comments for every criticism levied on a teammate. A wizened
older teacher once gave me the wisdom of the “sandwich method” ahead of my
first parent-teacher conferences when she shared, “Always begin and end your
conference with a praise of student’s success while sandwiching the constructive
criticism in-between.”
3)
Just as Peter has patience with erring Christians
who are struggling in their faith (1 Peter 2:1-6), so we also need to be
patient with the ups and downs of the progress of our learners knowing that patience,
rather than expecting perfection, is one of the best tools we have in our
progress toward maturity (James 1:2-4).
I thought about these things when
I witnessed senior Cameron “Ogre” Beasley hit his first homerun of his high
school career on Tuesday night in his first at-bat. He then walloped his second homerun on a 0-2
count in the top of the third. His third
plate appearance, though, saw a strikeout that might draw harsh criticism from
others. “Ogre” if you’re reading this,
know that the WCHS Warrior Baseball staff is proud of you and the progress you’ve
made. You’ve come a long way from the
one-dimension frustrated hitter you used to be.
That strikeout is evidence that we’ve got some work still to do, so continue
to learn from it and grow. Your future
looks bright in baseball, in life, and in heaven as you continue to develop
toward your potential in Jesus.
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in
trials, be constant in prayer.” – Romans 12:12
The word “forte” comes from the latin word “fortis” meaning strength. Our weekly Family Forte article in The Expositor is the effort of family at Central Church of Christ to give your family the love, care, and attention it needs to become a stronger version of itself. If we can help you in any way, please contact us at Central Church of Christ through email, topherwiles@spartacoc.com, or through our website, www.spartacoc.com.