Three Signs. One Philosophy.

What We Believe. How We Compete. Who We Represent.

During my years at Baylor, I strategically placed three signs throughout our baseball facility. Each was positioned where our players would see it as they moved from one part of their daily routine to another.

The locations were intentional. So were the messages.

Each sign communicated something different, but together they expressed a philosophy that extended well beyond baseball.

They reminded our players that what we believed should influence how we practiced, how we competed, and ultimately, how we lived.

1. Leaving the Locker Room

“What we believe, we practice. Everything else is just talk.”

This sign was positioned where our players would see it as they left the locker room.

We could talk all day about commitment, discipline, toughness, teamwork, and character. But none of those words meant much unless they were reflected in our actions.

What we truly believe is revealed by what we consistently do.

It’s easy to agree with a standard. Living according to that standard is something else entirely.

The same principle applies to our Christian faith.

James writes, “Faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead” (James 2:17).

Our actions don’t make our beliefs true. They reveal whether those beliefs have taken hold in our lives.

What we believe should determine how we behave.

2. Entering the Dugout

“You Must Be Present to Win”

This sign greeted our players as they entered the dugout.

Baseball is a game that demands an extraordinary ability to remain in the present.

You can’t do anything about the strikeout in your previous at-bat. You can’t make tomorrow’s start today. And you certainly can’t execute the next pitch while your mind is somewhere else.

Yet how often do we allow yesterday’s failures or tomorrow’s uncertainties to rob us of today’s opportunities?

I wanted our players to understand that being present meant more than simply showing up.

It meant being physically, mentally, and emotionally engaged in the responsibility immediately before them.

The same challenge confronts us in life.

Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34).

We spend so much time regretting what has happened or worrying about what might happen that we fail to recognize what God has placed before us today.

You cannot be faithful to today’s responsibilities if you are unwilling to be present for them.

3. Leaving the Ballpark

“Baylor Baseball — 24/7/365”

The third sign was positioned where our players would see it as they left the ballpark.

Its message was simple.

Being a Baylor Baseball player wasn’t something you turned on when you put on the uniform and turned off when you took it off.

You represented Baylor Baseball 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

But there was something more I wanted them to understand.

Their responsibility to represent Baylor Baseball would not end when their playing careers were over.

For the rest of their lives, they would be associated with the program, their teammates, their coaches, and Baylor University.

How they conducted themselves as husbands, fathers, employees, employers, and members of their communities would continue to reflect on the institution they once represented.

Their playing careers would eventually end.

Their association with Baylor Baseball would not.

I wanted them to understand that belonging to something carries both privilege and responsibility.

More Than Baseball

Looking back, I see an even deeper connection between those three signs and what it means to follow Jesus.

The first sign challenged our convictions.

The second challenged our attention.

The third challenged our understanding of identity and belonging.

And perhaps the third is the most important of all.

The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1 that we should “walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received.”

He also reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are “ambassadors for Christ.”

In other words, we represent Someone to whom we belong.

There is, of course, an important distinction between belonging to a baseball program and belonging to Jesus Christ.

Our identity in Christ is not something we earn through our performance. It is a gift of God’s grace.

We don’t become His children because we live well enough.

We seek to live differently because we are His children.

And unlike our identity as an athlete, coach, or member of an organization, our identity in Christ does not expire when our role or circumstances change.

Who we belong to should influence how we live.

That was the message I hoped our players would carry with them long after they played their final game.

And it’s a message worth remembering long after we leave the ballpark.

A Couple of Questions

Which of those three signs presents the greatest challenge to you today?

And what might change if we placed similar signs at the entrances and exits of our own homes?