Boys and Baseball!

Baseball season is in full swing and I love it! I love everything about baseball--- the boys learning how to work together as a team, the parents cheering them on, and the thrill of a win. Speaking of a win, Jake's team got their first "W" last night. It was so much fun!

Jake plays catcher and he did a great job defending home plate. He also had three great hits. One hit went to the fence and he made it all the way to third base. I believe they call that a triple in baseball lingo. I do not know who was more excited, Jake or me! In fact, when I was putting Jake to bed, he mentioned how I was jumping up and down while he was running the bases. I guess I do get a little excited but I think of it as a good work out plan!

Andrew kicks off his baseball career next weekend. Of course, he is playing the kinder gentler T Ball but it will still be fun to cheer him on.

As I think about boys and baseball, I want to share a thought from the Women's Inc article that I am currently working on. The topic of the magazine is men and I wrote about the importance of lifting up our men with the words we use.

This article was challenging for me to write because it called for me to be very honest. Why is it so hard for us to lift up the men in our lives? Perhaps pride plays a key role in the interfering process. Pride keeps our eyes on ourselves and our perceived needs.

In contrast to pride, we find humility. Humility focuses on the other person in the process and challenges us to first think about their needs. Philippians 2:3-4 states, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interest of others." Looking to the interest of others is hard. Why? As sinful fallen people, we look out for number one. This is true even in our marriages and our parenting routine. Often women dig in their heals and refuse to meet another persons needs until they perceive that their needs have been met. Scripture confronts this type of living and calls it sinful.

How can we meet the needs of the men in our lives? Allow me to share a few thoughts that have been helpful to me:

• Pray for Them!: Pray daily for the men in your life. Pray for your husband to love Jesus with all of his heart. Pray for your son to be a man of integrity.
  
• Brag about Them!: Brag about your guys to the important people in their lives. A few examples include your husbands parents and your sons close friends. Don’t forget to brag to your close friends and family members too.
  
• Support Them!: Support the decisions your husband makes. Do not undermine your husband in front of your children or wait for the chance to tell your husband, “I told you so.” Give your son space to make decisions in his life. Encourage your son in the decisions he has made even if they do not work out.
  
• Respect Them!: Men’s number one need is respect. Respect involves giving special attention to someone or holding a person in high regard. One way to respect your husband involves making a special effort to meet his needs. As you make this effort, do not tell him what you are doing. Instead, make the effort not expecting anything in return. For your son, respect him by granting him the opportunity to be the person God has called him to be. Do not force your plans, dreams, and desires onto his life. Rather, allow your son the chance to follow the Lord’s leading in his life.

This week I am praying and asking the Lord to help me function out of humility. I invite you to join me in this process. As you do, feel free to post about your experience. I will be praying for you!