Dodger’s second baseman, Steve Sax, had a terrible time in 1983. For some reason, he couldn’t make a simple throw to first base in a game. In practice, he could do it blindfolded. He took extra ground balls. But nothing seemed to help, and he made 28 throwing errors. Fans began holding signs like, “Sax, throw me a souvenir.” What finally helped Sax to relax was a prank pulled by manager Tommy Lasorda. He put a pig’s head in his bed with a note saying, “Saxy, you better start bearing down and throwing the ball right—or else. Signed, The Godfather.” Lasorda burst out laughing when Sax asked whether he thought some guy who lost money on a game did it! The laughter relieved tension, and Sax went errorless in the last 38 games.

Worry prevents players from reaching peak performance. But why is it that one player forgets about an error after making it, while another cannot stop thinking about it? What all players with a thrower’s mental block share is fear. Psychologists call this a fear of failure. Former major league manager Chuck Tanner explained, “If you worry about failing, you will. The biggest reason behind these throwing mysteries is players trying not to make mistakes. You can’t play that way. You have to play the way you did when you were a kid and not be afraid.”

Matthew 6 – Trust God

Three times in ten short verses (Matthew 6), Jesus says, “Do not worry,” “Do not worry,” “Do not worry.” Matthew Henry states, “There is scarcely any one sin against which our Lord Jesus more largely and earnestly warns his disciples than the sin of disquieting, distracting, distrustful cares about the things of this life.” Worry is like trusting the devil. It is like racing the engine of a car while the transmission is in neutral. Worry accomplishes nothing!

Letting worry consume you can block your productivity and cause stress. Worry often pulls you into the future, making you look for things to worry about. However, it’s important to resist this urge. God advises that you focus on the challenges you can handle in the present moment. Concentrate on today’s needs with the resources you have, or you might lose the happiness that today can offer.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete focus solely on God and remain loyal to Him. They understand that worry opposes trust in God. 

Bible Memory Verse – “Then He *said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.’” Matthew 9:37-38 (LSB)

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