It’s important to believe in yourself when playing a sport, but for Savannah Bananas player RobertAnthony Cruz, it was more important to believe in God’s plan.
“I [felt] convicted to do the opposite of what sports psychologists recommend,” he explained while appearing on the “WHOA That’s Good” podcast. “Everyone in sports is always like, ‘Think positive thoughts, speak positive to yourself, I can do this,’ all that, and that’s not what I needed to hear. The root of the issue is ‘What if I do mess up? Who does that make me in the eyes of the people around me?’ That was my problem. It was an identity issue.”
Cruz decided to change his mindset — “I started going into games…saying, ‘God, I fear You alone. Even if I do throw this away, I know that You’ll love me nonetheless, so I’m okay with it if I throw this away and it’s used to refine my character. So be it.’”
The Savannah Bananas player has previously talked about how struggling in baseball helped him grow closer to God. In an Instagram video, Cruz shared that he didn’t play well during his freshman year of college.
Related: How Failure Shape Coach RAC’s Path to the Savannah Bananas
“After my whole freshman year of struggling, I knew that I wanted something that would give me deeper purpose,” he explained. “So I changed my major to Christian ministry. I never would have known that that was what I was passionate about unless I struggled so much my freshman year finding purpose.”
Cruz continued, “If you know my story, I would then go on to get signed by the Nationals and then get cut very quickly. And I thought, ‘Man, what was all of that for?’ I by no means mean to say that I have arrived, but I am currently standing at Wrigley Field. But through all of those experiences, the good and the bad, I believe that God has been shaping me. I believe He has a purpose for my life.”
The baseball player spoke to ChurchLeaders about prioritizing his faith, sharing, “As far as the faith stuff goes, it’s really like the lens through which I see everything. Whether it’s playing on the field, it’s like I’m still spending time with God out there, whether it’s hanging out with my teammates in the clubhouse, it’s like spending time with God.”
“Faith [is] everything,” Cruz concluded. “Baseball is what I do on the weekends.”
Playing a sport on any level can be stressful, but Cruz’s words are a reminder that God’s opinion is the only one that matters.
Read Next: Savannah Bananas’ Coach RAC Needs You to Remember This One Thing
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
