Body Shots

Those who know me know that I am an avid tennis player.  I have played tennis for 62 years.  I began with a wooden racquet with a broken string and three dead tennis balls.  Now I use titanium racquets with especially big sweet spots for aging players….  LOL   

Tennis (especially at Wimbledon which begins next week) is a polite sport.  It is full of rules and traditions designed to maintain order and decorum.  At least that is the ongoing myth.  In truth, tennis is a wildly competitive sport in which the players rush the net in order to intimidate and cut short an opponent.  One of the most difficult shots in doubles to defend against is a high volley driven into the opponents face or mid-section.  And it is – at least at the club level – rude and unsportsmanlike conduct. 

Make such a shot and you will most certainly turn and say.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do that”  Bull….  Yes you did!!  I have done it, my opponent has done it.  The desire to win drives us to do things that under less stressful situations we would not think of doing.  But that does not make it right.

It seems to me that our country is in the midst of a hotly contested match right now.  Lines of conflict have been drawn and players on both sides are rushing the net in order to get the upper hand, to prove their point, to denigrate and dehumanize those who are not playing on their team.  And instead of the coach (aka president) encouraging good sportsmanship, fair play, and focusing on skill development – being the best you can be, - he mocks those who are disabled or weak, blames and shames anyone who tries to speak out in disagreement, and tries to intimidate and humiliate everyone he meets.  In other words one body shot after another deliberately and with malice.  The challenge for me and for you is to make the play that I think Jesus calls us to make….  to not return rage for rage - malice for malice.

The truth is that those who hit the courts with rage and malice rarely win.  Oh, they may take the first set, but if we remain calm, focused, and intent on hitting the ball one more time over the net we will very likely prevail.  At the very least we will walk off the court with our heads high knowing that we played a good game.  These players will be the ones who endure through the years, who will endear themselves to their partners and to their opponents, and who instill the desire in others to play a good and fair match.

Mahatma Ghandi said, ““When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”

When I am down 0 games to 3, I always turn to my partner and say…  “we’ve got ‘em just where we want ‘em.  Let’s get this next game.” 

It has been a rough week for those of us in this country who are trying to uphold the dignity of every human being.  But it is not time for us to despair.  Keep playing with dignity, with love, and with faith in God because arrogance and greed will not prevail. 

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
    and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”  Is 55:10-11