Reflecting: how much is too much?

A few weeks ago, I came across this story by the Boston Herald. As most of you know, I'm an avid Red Sox fan. Our closer (the pitcher who tries to seal a victory at the end of the game), Jonathan Papelbon, had a poor season last year. He allowed more runs than usual, allowed more men to get on base, and gave up more home runs than he had in past years. Because of his off year in 2010, speculation has been running wild about whether he will be traded or not. 


Here's a link to the official story: http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/red_sox/index.php/2011/02/13/papelbon-wont-dwell-on-offseason/


College is a time that shapes your life. The habits we form during these critical four years stay with us for the rest of our lives. They affect us and those around us. Thus, we can spend a lot of time reflecting on the future. What job am I going to get? What is my vocation? Where does God want me to be? Who does He want me to reach out to? All these questions and many more can dominate our thoughts, and lead to prayerful reflection.


As the Herald reports, Papelbon is obviously worried about losing his job with the Red Sox. He says: "Is it human nature to think about those things? Of course it’s human nature... But to sit there and dwell on it and wonder is this going to happen, is that going to happen, I don’t think that will be the case.”

Though that last phrase is a little awkward, what Paps is getting at is that allowing worry about the future to affect our spiritual, academic, or physical performance is counterproductive. It is good, and even fruitful, to reflect on God's plan for our lives. Discerning His will is important and necessary. However, sometimes too much reflecting can impede our progress toward our full potential. We can constantly be thinking of the path God has laid before us (which isn't a bad thing). But this can, at times, distract us from our daily duties and obligations. Sometimes we need to put our lives in God's hands and just go out and live. In the words of Padre Pio, "Pray, hope, and don't worry."

I'll close with Papelbon's words:

"It’s part of the game [to worry about the future]. I just try to stay focused on getting myself prepared to pitch and be the best I can be and come back this year and have a better season than I did last year and get back to proving to everyone what kind of closer I am.”