I almost missed it.
It started out as a small, ordinary moment with my 3-year-old son but ended up being one of the biggest teaching moments in my life. Nearly 14 years later, I still think about it often and how it parallels my discipleship journey.
From a young age, my son, Westin, has loved watching sports on TV. He was especially passionate about baseball — the Los Angeles Dodgers, to be exact.
He could sit and watch nine innings on television and never lose interest. I’m an adult, and I struggle to do that.
Not Westin, though — he was focused.
He studied the players and each individual at-bat and play on the field. He asked questions about the rules, the different teams,and the calls made by the umpire. At the library, he checked out books about the Dodgers and the sport.
He seemed to live and breathe for this team and this game.
Naturally, when Westin and I went to the park, we would play baseball. I remember noticing how he would mimic the mannerisms of certain players he loved. Sometimes it was the way he jogged up to home plate to hit. Sometimes it was the way he threw his arm up in the air to celebrate a home run. Sometimes it was in the way he tilted his hat at the pitcher (me) — just like the pros did.
When we took the big step of buying tickets for Westin’s first professional baseball game at Dodger Stadium, I was excited to see how he would respond. On the big day, Westin gathered all of his baseball gear — his bat, his hat, his mitt, his cleats and his ball.
I didn’t think anything of it, because that’s what kids do; they pack up half the house when it’s time to go anywhere.
But as we were getting out of the car, I noticed he really did intend to take all of his gear into the park with him. All of it.
“Oh, buddy, you actually can’t take all of that in with you. Only your mitt...” I said to him.
Before I even finished my sentence, I saw the energy and excitement in his body and face completely drop.
And then he looked up at me.
“But what if they need me?” he said to me, with the most earnest and pure eyes I think I’ve ever seen.
My heart melted. Tears filled my eyes.
In Westin’s little 3-year-old mind, he had studied the game, practiced everything he learned and was prepared to play in a major league baseball game with professional athletes more than 20 years his senior. Quite literally, he was ready to go in if the team needed him.
It wasn’t until later that night, after the explanation, after the game, after the ride home and the going to bed, that I grasped the impact of how much Westin’s experience mirrors the journey of discipleship.
Westin studied the game: the rules, the players, the techniques. We study the Savior: His teachings, His life, His example. Westin observed the players: how they walked and ran and threw and caught. We observe the Savior: how He loves, forgives and serves. Westin read the books, the words, the stories. We read His scriptures, His teachings, His parables. And like Westin hearing the call to play, we come to recognize His voice.
Then, in the same way Westin practiced every throw and swing, we practice living His principles. We love others when it’s inconvenient. We forgive when it’s hard. We try again when we fall short. Little by little, we change into a new being with a different heart, and something incredible happens: we begin to feel ready.
Doctrine and Covenants 84:85 reads: “Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man.”
I love that phrase — “treasure up in your minds continually.”
Because when we fill our hearts and minds with the words of Christ, the Holy Ghost can bring them back when we need them — in a lesson, in a conversation or even in a moment of personal struggle.
That’s what readiness looks like in discipleship. It’s not about being perfect or having all the answers — it’s about having the word of God written in our hearts, ready to guide our actions and strengthen our faith.
"Preach My Gospel" teaches this same pattern:
- Learn it — by studying His words and discovering truth.
- Live it — by practicing what we learn and acting on our faith.
- Share it — by being ready to serve and teach when He calls.
This is how we “put on the armor of God” (see Ephesians 6:11-17). It’s how we become spiritually strong, steady and prepared for whatever comes.
As we do, we’re promised divine blessings:
- Discernment to recognize truth from error
- Peace, even when the world feels chaotic
- Strength to resist temptation
- Protection from the adversary
- And the ability to teach truth with power and authority
These are all signs of readiness — the quiet confidence that comes from living close to the Spirit.
Just like Westin packing his glove and bat, thinking the Dodgers might need him, I want to be ready when the Lord does need me.
Ready to lift someone who’s struggling.
Ready to share my testimony when prompted. Ready to follow wherever He asks me to go.
And I know that readiness doesn’t happen all at once — it’s something we build, day by day, as we learn, live and love like the Savior.
So when I think back to that moment with my little boy and his baseball gear, I can’t help but ask myself: “When the Lord calls on me, will I be ready to go in?”
And I hope — I’m working — to make sure the answer is yes.
— Sister Courtney Rich is a member of the Young Women general advisory council.
