I remember when I made the decision to get out of coaching. I left a pitcher in a critical game one hitter too long and the result was a three -run homerun that might as well have landed right between my eyes.

I started out of the dugout twice to bring in a fresh arm but changed my mind before reaching the top step. We not only lost the game, but also our one shot at making the NCAA play-offs after years of trying to get the program to that point.

That coaching decision put a period on my career. I was ready to get out. I was drained, emotionally, mentally, physically. The “coach” in me had died. I had nothing left to give and would have rather chopped wood for a living then remain in coaching.

Even though I loved relationships developed over the years, I was burnt out. I had a good job at a great University, but I knew that I was not capable of bringing my players and my coaching staff to their full potential when my heart was no longer in it.

I was lost in many ways after hanging up my coaching shoes. All of a sudden, I was no longer doing something I was certain I was going to be doing for my entire life. I had dreamed of coaching at my alma mater, Texas Tech, but that dream never became a reality. When I quit coaching, that dream died, and I stopped chasing it.

It is an unsettling place to be when you stop chasing a dream for yourself. Sometime dreams die, relationships don’t work out, businesses fail, and your bank account hits zero. You look up from the gravel and ask yourself, “now what?”

Doors close in life, but thankfully God leaves windows open to new opportunities, people, and dreams. This leads me to believe that everything does happen for a reason. There may be reasons we don’t understand or comprehend at the time, but we still push onward. I believe that is called faith.

Life does not end when things don’t work out as planned. I have learned you cannot consider yourself a soldier unless you have been in a battle. The only way to avoid failure, heartache, and disappointment in life is to do, say, and be nothing.

I am sure you have heard the saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.”

Every Easter I am reminded of new beginnings. When all was thought to be lost, a new day was given to us all. Light overcame darkness, victory overcame defeat. I have had more than just a few “Easter moments” in my life.

I’m no biblical scholar, but I like to believe that Jesus died for all. He did not peek his head out of the tomb looking only for a specific denomination, ethnicity, or political party. The man just walked out with his arms -and his heart – wide open.

If he had been looking only for the deserving, then he would have walked right past me. We all qualify for God’s grace, just ask the thief on the cross about that. He didn’t spend a day in church or a minute in bible study, but he is with Jesus today just because he asked.

Happy Easter!

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Todd Howey is a columnist for BrownwoodNews.com whose articles appear on Fridays