I’m 24 years old now. The older I get, the more I can see the characteristics of my parents—all those nuances and little personality traits that make them. . . special—show up in my own life.  

My brother just got promoted to the Frisco, TX RoughRiders (the Rangers AA affiliate) and his wife was coming to pick up the car so she could take all their stuff to Frisco. Had she not come back, I would have been stuck with a room-full of new toiletries and utensils at my disposal. Who knows what kind of trouble I could have gotten into. . . it’s a good thing she came back. But what I want you to know is that I prepared her turnaround here to be as quick as possible.  

I could have just picked up all their clothes, tableware, shower goods, and everything else, put it in a corner of my room, and helped her when she got here. But I didn’t. I tried packing up the car and giving Maddie the fastest turnaround from High Desert to Frisco this world has ever seen! But it wasn’t because I’m a good guy (which is highly debatable), but because I had learned it from someone else. . . .

My dad has always been a guy who goes above and beyond for preparation. That phrase, “The separation is in the preparation” is his character slogan. Sometimes it may seem like he is freaking out a little too much about the small details of a family vacation. But as soon as something goes awry, you’re thankful for the Ron Ledbetter that always has a plan for everyone involved before disaster has a chance to strike. He looks out for the whole team and prepares accordingly.  

We become what we’re surrounded by. I am simply a collection of all my experiences. Who I talk with, where I travel, the words I read and speak, the thoughts I let nurture in my brain, and the feelings I rest in my heart makes me the person that I am. So becoming another Ron Ledbetter is out of the question because he has his own experiences. But I know I carry a lot of his character in my own persona.  

The same is true of momma. And why is this? It’s because I’ve been around them, immersed in their conversations and love since I was just a wee little boy. Before I could talk, I was listening to them. How crazy is that?

Lately, I’ve been thinking about my outlook and my legacy. I’ve been asking myself questions like: Who do I want to become? What is my legacy going to be? When people think of me, what’s the first thing I want to pop in their heads? In my heart of hearts, what is my purpose?

These are the kinds of questions that should steer our everyday decisions. Someone much smarter than me said, “You won’t become tomorrow what you aren’t becoming today.”  

My life—in everything—should be a mirror of the Cross; of Jesus.  

I can see the reflection of my father in me, but what about the reflection of my Heavenly Father? I should be listening to, communicating with, and simply hanging with my Dad, especially if I want to become a reflection of Him.  

My job isn’t to make my name known—it’s to make His known. And the better I do that, the better job I am doing as a son.

If I want to be more involved in the work of Christ then I have to make that happen. I need to be intentional about my relationships and where I spend my time. If I’m just playing video games, filling up my time with mindless activities, I’ll be breeding a mindless lifestyle.

If I want to be the son my Father wants me to be then I need to be intentional with that. Who I am is clearly written out in the Scriptures: I am a son of God. The love I should show everyone can be learned there. How I should treat my wife, how I should go about my business, and even what I should do with my money; it’s all in there.

The blueprint for life isn’t a buried treasure, but rather an open book! One day I hope to look back and see the events in my life aligned with those in the Hall of Faith, not just the Hall of Fame.

—David Ledbetter

David Ledbetter is a regular contributor to The Increase and will be providing monthly articles and opinions.

Check out David’s Increase profile here: http://theincreasebaseball.com/author/david-ledbetter/  

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