April is my birth month. I remember as a kid that it would rain a lot in April. Thus the phrase, “April Showers.” For this April, I hope it rains down things on you, including the following:

1. Discernment
2. Grit
3. Focus
4. Self-efficacy

For this week’s blog, I want to focus on discernment. Stay tuned for the next three topics over the next three weeks.

Discernment is the ability to judge well. Discernment happens to be one of my Spiritual Gifts, which has been granted to me to serve God for the common benefit of his people and the church.

I am imperfect and life is complex, so discernment allows me to know what I should and should not do. It allows me to be an effective coach.

I regularly think about the process of being drafted twice by the Chicago Cubs, and how God was with me every step of the way—guiding me through discernment.

Playing for the Cubs was my childhood dream. I watched them play a lot on television in the early 80s during the summer time when I would stay at my grandparent’s house in Atlanta while my parents were at work.

At school, when teachers asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would say I wanted to be a Chicago Cub.

I maintained that conviction as a freshman at Westlake High School. Community coach and advocate, the late T.J. Wilson helped make it happen. He landed me an invitation to work out for the Cubs in my high freshman year.

Subsequently, I continued to work out with the Cubs my sophomore through senior year of high school, developing a strong relationship with them.

Along the way, I received good coaching for life on and off the field from my high school coach, Dave Whitfield, and my Travel Ball coach, Derek Stafford.

It was discernment that allowed these men to believe in me. They advocated for me despite a lot of the character flaws I had as a teenager.

• How is your judgment when it comes to choosing coaches to lead you?
• What’s more important to you, winning games or being well coached?
• Why is it important to have Spiritual Gifts?

Remember: Intelligence tops being smart.

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C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and a track record of success that can work for you.