I play tennis, mostly doubles these days. I play with a variety of people who have a variety of skill levels. In doubles, when I’m playing at the net, my partner is typically playing behind me at the baseline, at least at the start of a point.
Yesterday I was playing with a woman who was a very good player at the baseline. She hit our opponents’ balls back deep and hard, consistently. As the game went on, I relaxed and was able to play better at the net because I knew I could trust my partner. If I didn’t poach a ball at the net, she would be able to do something good with it at the baseline. We were very successful.
Earlier that day I played with a partner who lacked that consistency. She was having a bad day and made many unforced errors. As I stood at the net, I became nervous about what would happen when the ball flew past me so I attempted to hit balls that weren’t really within my reach. And so I made more errors too. We did not win many games.
When playing tennis, it helps a great deal to stay relaxed. If I get tight, I can’t swing freely and my thinking gets muddled. It’s a lot easier to stay relaxed when I can trust my partner. When I know they have my back, I can go after the right balls and let the others go.
God is the most consistent, reliable, and wise partner I could ever ask for. I can always trust Him. When I do, I can relax and make good decisions in my life. I know He’s got my back.
The problem is, I often turn to other partners instead. I turn to other faulty humans and their opinions. Or I turn to Google and society’s accepted “wisdom”. Or I turn to my own ideas and strength. Stress builds up and errors ensue.
Dear God,
Thank you for your reliability, your consistency, your wisdom, and your love. Forgive me for putting my trust in anyone or anything but you. Only by trusting you can I truly have peace. Thank you so much for that peace. Show me what it means to trust you today.
CamDevo 