“I didn’t know it at the time, but what I went through was a true blessing in disguise,” Brian Dozier said. “The Lord knew what He was doing, but I didn’t at the time.”

It appeared to be the right decision. He passed on the MLB draft, opting instead to stay at the University of Southern Mississippi to finish his senior year and earn his degree. He was a sure-fire bet to make it in the big leagues.

But during his senior year, he dove to make a play and shattered his collar bone.

Eight screws and a plate were inserted into his right shoulder putting his dreams of playing in the major leagues in serious doubt.

Maybe he made the wrong decision after all. Maybe he should have gone to Major League Baseball.

Have you ever been in this situation and taken your future for granted? What would you do? Would you give up or keep going?

It’s no coincidence that his favorite character in the Bible is Job. He doesn’t compare himself to Job, but he admired his perseverance and determination to live for the Lord no matter what happened to him.

“I learned through all of that and by what Job went through to rely on God through everything – especially the bad times,” he said. “There are times when we get angry and question, but you have to count on Him to get you through.”

Brian did what only he could do. He waited and learned.

He learned how to be a true leader without being on the field. He encouraged those who could perform and gave advice to younger players. Today, Brian is an all-star player with the Washington Nationals.

If by chance you find yourself in a similar circumstance like Brian’s, how will you cope with it? Brian took a positive approach and became a true leader. Try these three approaches:

• Cry out to the Lord. If you reach out in humility and sincerity, He will hear you.
• Make God first in your life. It’s easy to put yourself and your needs at the top of the list. Make this a priority by giving God the first 10% of your paycheck. Trust Him the way Job did.
• Get into the Word of God. There you will witness the Lord’s heart and yours too. You might not like what you find out about yourself, but it will help you become a better person.

This is a portion of one devotion in Del Duduit’s book, “Dugout Devotions: Inspirational Hits from MLBs Best.” It is available at New Hope Publishers and Amazon