A prayer for my son

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I humbly ask for some prayers, and also some advice, for my youngest son M. I know that in God’s grand scheme of things, this really does not rank up there with the most important prayer request, with so many hurting so deeply, but God does hear our prayers — no matter how trivial.

First, I ask for your prayers for M. He is a GREAT kid, humble, great student, stays totally out of trouble, picks good friends, regular at church, volunteers at church. As a parent, a lot to be thankful for. But he is 17, and has a very poor outlook on himself, low self-esteem. M. is fortunate to be blessed with some athletic skills, and in particular as a boy, this is important to him. He loves baseball and for most of his young life has had good success. Now he is (was) playing at the Varsity level and doing pretty well. Now, his play and hitting have slumped so badly that he is benched and has completely lost all confidence and belief in himself.

Those of you who know baseball know that the sport itself is a humbling game as every player fails more than he succeeds — that is the nature of the game. M. has experienced slumps before, but never to this level and never to this extreme. As a parent I hurt for him, because the harder he works the worse things seem. I am now getting worried that he is starting to lose interest, hope and motivation. I’ve seen young men turn to bad things when they lose confidence and have low self-esteem.

M. wants to play and do well. He (and I) is not seeking all-star fame, or homeruns whenever he bats, but he needs to experience success and have some FAITH and trust in God and himself. As I mentioned, with people here praying for the dying, the sick, the homeless and the unemployed, this may seem a trivial and frivolous prayer, but I don’t know where to turn.

Also, do you have any advice or suggestions on quick prayers that M can use when he steps up to bat? He needs to find that Trust and Confidence in God and himself, and hopefully be blessed with the skills, technique and self-confidence that only God can provide.

Thanks for your help, thoughts and prayers.

Blessings

Bruce
 
Sports are a gift, and an opportunity to exercise Christian community and fellowship with our brothers and sisters. They are also an important means to acquaint ourselves with the understanding that Victory comes only through struggle and hard work. Just as Salvation came only through the Cross. This message is one that as a follower of Christ, your son, and all young people, should learn and understand early. In terms of a simple prayer, and to avoid any potential for petitions for ‘outcomes’ or ‘things’ (which should be avoided), have your son say this before he steps up to bat: “Lord, without You I can do nothing, but with You I am capable of anything!”

Hope this helps and God Bless you!
 
Bruce,
I replied to your other thread, but figured I would put it here too in case for some reason you do not see it.

I am sorry to hear he is having a tough time with the sport he loves. I have been in the same position, and often see the kids I coach now in the same position sometimes. Your son is in my Prayers.

I found this quick prayer online here. It sounded pretty good to me.
“Lord. Calm my restless spirit and let my bat be swift and sure.”
Click to expand...
Hitting a long slump is a tough thing for someone to be in. I don’t know what action your son has taken but. Has your son talked to the coach? I know the coach has to split his attention on everyone, but your son could ask for some help with his swing. Or at least ask him how he can improve? A good coach will at the very least pay attention the next time your son is up to bat and be able to offer him some tips?

I do not know your situation but here are some suggestions:

Bring him to the park, soft toss to him and have him hit againsnt a fence. You could use those plastic practice golf balls, theyre pretty cheap for a bunch.This will force him to work on the basics of his swing, and then progress from there. He may think that hitting a soft toss is beneath him. But tell him that the Pros still practice with a soft toss. Do it nice and slow, let him take a breath and regroup between tosses. But the important thing is he will be successful. Being successful will help him build his confidence, even if it is an easier task. Progress from the soft toss, to a farther soft toss. Then pitch to him, and increase the speed and difficulty.

Or Take him to a batting cage, get him in the cage with the slow pitches where he will excel. Then move him to the medium speed, and so on. I have no doubt he is working incredibly hard, but sometimes kids put too much pressure on themselves. It is always a good idea to get back to the fundamentals. Have him ask himself what are the fundamentals of a good swing and the importance of watching the ball until impact.

I hope that I was of some help. If you would like you could PM me and we can discuss it further and I will try to help more if I can.
 
Thanks for the kind words and prayers — continued prayers for my son are greatly appreciated.

Blessings

Bruce
 
Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
 
I will remember your son in my prayers this evening.

Also, there is no prayer too tiny or trivial for God. At times when I have similar worries about requests I make of God I remember the wedding at Cana when, after Mary’s intercession, Christ turned water into wine.

I know that there are many deep theological interpretations and meanings behind this story, but one simple statement I heard made regarding it has always stuck with me. Think of how the bride and groom felt at the time. How would you feel if you were in their place? Imagine all of the guests gossiping among themselves about how you didn’t purchase (or couldn’t afford) enough wine for your wedding guests. Sure, the bride and groom won’t die from embarrassment, but it still is a hard trial for them. Understandably, the bride and groom are mortified that they’ve run out of wine and being devout Jews are surely praying to God for help. Then the Blessed Mother notifies Jesus of the couple’s “trivial” problem and He comes to their aid immediately. Again, I know this isn’t the only (or perhaps even the best) way to read this passage of Scripture, but it helps me and I hope it helps you and your son to ask Christ for help in all your daily problems with confidence.
 
My son plays baseball as well and he has never hit a homerun (This is his second year). Most times he walks to first. He loves the game and there is good support from the coaches and other teammates, but he still needs a lot of practice and some good pitches wouldn’t hurt. So in short, I understand where you are coming from even though my son is not playing at the varsity level and I am praying for your son …
 
May your son pray frequently the words “Jesus, I trust in you!” and ask for the grace to believe these words when he begins to doubt God. May your son consider joining a youth group and spending his time doing spiritual things.

Lord, you want this boy to know that you are more important than his success in baseball. Help him to deepen his relationship with you and to pray more. May he do spiritual reading and receive you as frequently as possible in the sacraments. Help him to do good at whatever he does, and when he fails, may he never give up believing that you are suffering along with him and love him infinitely. Thank you, Lord, for hearing my prayer.
 
Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula
 
Praying hard for your son. Hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult things in sports. I would recommend his going to a batting cage as often as he can.
 
Pater noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
 
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