4 minute read
[Extended metaphor alert! But stick with me…]
Imagine yourself on a tennis court.
You’re standing on the baseline, slightly bent over, racket at the ready, eyes on the net, ready to face that little yellow ball whenever it decides to make its way over.
But you’re not alone. You’re playing doubles tennis. Your partner stands off to your right a few feet away.
THWACK. You hear the ball hit from across the net… and it’s flying over to your side.
In a split second, you have to make a decision: are you going to hit the ball back… or is it on your partner to return it?
That’s a big part of doubles tennis: knowing who on your team is supposed to hit which balls.
As you play, you’re constantly thinking, “Is that one mine? Or should I let my teammate get that one?”
Sometimes it’s clear cut—like when the ball is coming straight for the five foot space dead in front of you…
And sometimes it’s dicey—like when the ball lands smack dab in the middle of you and your partner.
The trick of doubles tennis is committing to the balls that are in your zone, letting your partner get the ones in theirs, and communicating about the ones that could go either way.
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If you’re playing doubles tennis and your partner is, say, Roger Federer—the man who has won more Grand Slam titles than anyone in tennis history including eight Wimbledon titles—you’re probably going to let ol’ Rog take a vast majority of the balls that come on your team’s side of the net.
Ball firing right at Roger? “That one’s yours!” you say.
Ball coming in between the two of you? “Roger, you take it.”
Ball headed directly toward you and Roger is on the sideline with an ankle injury? “Roger! I think this one’s yours, too!”
And rightly so because unless you’re Rafael Nadal (and thanks for reading my blog post, Raffy), odds are that Roger Federer is going to hit the ball better than you will.
How insane would it look to be playing doubles tennis with Roger Federer and you’re jumping on his side of the court, diving in front of his racket, hitting the ball yourself? “Move, Roger… you’re probably gonna miss this one…”
People in the stands would probably boo.
And yet, I find myself doing this with God all of the time.
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Imagine much of life as you playing doubles tennis with God.
The ball coming over the net at you and God is when you’re facing challenges.
Those challenges could be the demands of the world, health issues, things you’re hoping for, breakthroughs, miracles, even just day-to-day tough stuff.
How do we respond when that ball—those challenges—cross the net and bear down on us?
Do we naturally let God (He has more Grand Slam titles than Federer, I’d say) take care of it…
Or do we jump over on His side, control the court, and take things on ourselves?
I don’t know about you, but my natural tendency is to jump over on His side and take things on myself.
It’s a little strange, right? I mean… He’s God… and here I am, jumping over in front of Him going, “I got this.”
Why do I do that?
I think I do it because, honestly, something deep down trusts less in Him and either His ability or His willingness to do something good… and more in my ability and willingness.
Silly, right? As silly as me using my backhand to hit something intended for Roger Federer’s forehand. And yet I do it all of the time.
Struggle in my marriage? “I got this, God. Let me mope and gripe to my spouse until something changes."
Worried about my work? “I got this, God. I’m gonna work 60 hours this week to make something good happen.”
Wanting to get married? “I got this, God. I’ll date whoever seems right to me, even if it means lowering my standards some.”
Friendship on the rocks? “I got this, God. I’m gonna walk away from this person without telling them what’s wrong just to preserve myself.”
Money running low? “I got this, God. I’m gonna sit and worry and then scramble to make money any way I can.”
I don’t know about you, but I have a long history in my life of looking at challenges and defaulting to, “I got this, God.”
Concerned about my health or the health of a loved one? “I got this, God. I’m gonna make sure science and doctors are my first and last line of defense. Plus, plenty of worry. That should take care of it.”
This list could go on and on, but I think you get the idea: when challenges come, there’s something in many of us that says, “I got this, God.”
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I don’t think any of us are cognizant that we do this.
If we looked at things objectively, we’d say, “Well, of course God’s the one who should handle what’s coming at me. He’s Infinite Creator God in Charge of the Universe. Of course He’s going to take care of things better than me.”
But we don’t always operate that way, do we?
Instead, we jump over and swing right in front of the Infinite Creator God in Charge of the Universe.
So what does God want us to do?
It may seem really… really… really basic and simplistic… but I think God wants us to respond to all of the challenges that come to us by first… praying.
Now, I can practically hear the flat “oh”s and yawns coming from the other side of the screen. I get it. We hear so much about praying and trusting God that it’s threadbare. But just because we’ve heard something a hundred times doesn’t make it any less true.
When my job’s going sideways or my marriage is hard or I’m concerned about my kids or I’m hoping something good will happen in X, Y, or Z situation… my initial response should be to pray. To turn to God and go, “Now, God… I have a feeling I’m gonna have to do something actively to face this… but before any of that happens, I want to turn to You. And I want to ask You to do something. Will you face this for me? Will you face this with me? Will you do something only You can do? You can handle this so, so, soooo much better than me. And I believe You not only can do something amazing… but You want to.”
That’s a pretty good response to challenges, right? Leaning into the Grand Slam champ to take on the 100 mph serve that’s headed right at your throat.
Now that doesn’t mean we pray and say, “God, you get this…” then, immediately, jump and hit it ourselves. Praying often means stopping doing things ourselves… and sitting and waiting for a bit. And that’s hard, right? Especially when you’re convinced that ball is either going to double-bounce on your side of the net… or take your head off.
But that’s part of trusting God.
Trusting God is believing He’s infinitely wise, totally able, and completely loving to you… and then acting—or not acting—based on that belief.
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So, today, how are you responding to challenges in your life?
Are you jumping out to take care of them yourselves, right from the start…
Or are you willing to pause… remember how Big and Good God really is…
Call out to Him, saying, “God… you take this one…”
And then wait… trusting Him… to do something good?
May we be people who let Roger Federer hit that little yellow ball.