After capping off a 61-1 season with a third straight national championship, members of the University of Oklahoma softball team were asked by a journalist how they were able to handle the unique pressure that comes with high expectations and play with joy when anxiety could easily set in. Infielder Grace Lyons responded first, saying: “The only way you can have a joy that doesn’t fade away is from the Lord. Any other type of joy is actually happiness that comes from circumstances and outcomes. Our coach always says that joy from the Lord is really the only thing that can keep you motivated and in a good mindset, no matter the outcome. Thankfully, we’ve had a lot of success this year but if it was the other way around, joy from the Lord is the only thing that can keep you embracing memories, moments, and friendships. So, that’s really the only answer to [your question] because there’s really no way that softball can bring you that because of how much failure comes in it, and how much of a roller coaster the game can be.”
Outfielder Jayda Coleman agreed, saying: “I went through that my freshman year, I was just so happy to win the College World Series that year, but I didn’t feel joy. I didn’t know what to do the next day. I didn’t know what to do the following week. I didn’t feel filled. And I had to find Christ in that, and I think that’s what makes our team so strong, that we’re not afraid to lose because it’s not the end of the world if we do lose. Yes, obviously we worked our [rear ends] off to be here and we want to win, but it’s not the end of the world because our life is in Christ and that’s all that matters.”
Utility fielder Alyssa Brito added: “You can’t find fulfillment in an outcome, whether it’s good or bad, and I think that’s why we’re so steady in what we do in our love for each other and in our love for the game because this game is giving us the opportunity to glorify God…. I’ve seen so much growth in myself once I turned to Jesus and I realized how He had changed my outlook on life, not just softball, but understanding how much I have to live for, and that’s living to exemplify the Kingdom. I think that brings so much freedom. And I’m sure everyone’s story is similar, but we all have those great testimonies that have really shown how awesome it is to play for something bigger. And I think that’s what brings me so much joy. No matter the outcome, whether we get a trophy in the end or not, this isn’t our home and I think that’s what’s amazing about it. We have an eternity of joy with our Father, and I’m so excited about that. Yes, I live in the moment, but I know this isn’t my home and, no matter what, my sisters in Christ will be with me in the end when we’re with our King.”
These remarkable young women are excellent examples of what should be the perspective of every follower of Christ. When we seek worldly goals above all things, they leave us empty and unfulfilled. But when we offer all things great and small for God’s glory, it fills us with joy and a desire to spend our lives for and with Him. As St. Josemaria Escriva once wrote: “All the things of this world are no more than dust of the earth. Place them in a heap under your feet and you will be so much the nearer to Heaven.”
posted 6/18/23
The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel 