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Baseball/Softball players are well aware of slumps. Slumps happen at all ages to all players. A slump can break you mentally, emotionally, and physically. If you have no clue what a “slump” is, this is a term used for when a batter is struggling over a period of time, causing their batting average to plummet. From little league to grade school, college to minor league, backyard to the professional level, a slump can drain a player. Over the years, players have tried numerous things in order to break out of their slump.

Richie Ashburn claimed, “To cure a batting slump, I took my bat to bed with me. I wanted to know my bat a little better.” (That’s not weird sounding, huh?). The great Yogi Berra proclaimed, “Slump? I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t hittin’.” In February 2023, Derek Jeter, famed shortstop for the Yankees, confessed on “The Tonight Show” that after going 0-32 at bat in 2004, he wore a gold thong to help break out of a slump. The first pitch after putting this on…home run. Wow. (No…not wow as in impressed. Wow as in what-the-what?!).

Slumps. Every player gets them. Hank Aaron said: “My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.”

I recently heard someone say that we don’t have bad days…we have bad moments; so don’t allow your moment to ruin your whole day. You may want to read that thought a few times. We all have bad moments. We all have slumps.

We can’t allow these slumps/moments to ruin our whole season or even day.

When going through a slump you have to figure out what’s happening, make an adjustment, try something new, keep stepping in the box and swing away. In life, we all have those moments where someone said or did something, or where someone DIDN’T say or do something, and we must then determine to not allow that moment to ruin our whole day. You didn’t have a bad day….you had a bad moment. Don’t allow those moments to put you in a slump. The MLB season begins in just a week (March 30th). You will see several slumps occur. These folks are professionals. They get paid good money. Guess what happens? They make adjustments and keep swinging. So should you! You truly can do all things through The One who gives you strength (Philippians 4:13). Stay in the game and in His lineup. Everything else will work itself out.

Rev. J. Cameron Bailey is pastor of Kenbridge Christian Church. He can be reached at jamescameronbailey@gmail.com.