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 keeps players from peak performance. But why is it that one player makes an error and forgets about it, while another makes an error and can’t think of anything but the error? What all players with a thrower’s mental block have in common is fear. Psychologists call it a fear of failure. Former major league manager Chuck Tanner put it this way, “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 – Worry Accomplishes Nothing

Three times in ten short verses (Matthew 6), Jesus says, “Do not worry,” “Do not worry,” “Do not worry.” Matthew Henry says, “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 trust in the devil. It is like racing the engine of a car while the transmission is in neutral. Worry accomplishes nothing!

Allowing worry to consume you can hinder your ability to be productive and can cause distress. Worry often tries to pull you into the future, making you search for something to be anxious about. However, it is important to resist this temptation. God advises that you have sufficient challenges to handle in the present moment. Focus on addressing today’s demands using the resources available to you, or else you risk losing the happiness that today can bring.

The Kingdom Coach and Athlete strive to a singular focus on God and loyalty to Him. They know worry is the opposite of trust in God.

Journaling helps you understand and respond to the Bible. As you journal, use the acronym HEAR to Highlight, Explain, Apply, and Respond to what you have read in the reading plan.

Bible Memory Verse – Then He said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38

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