Monday's Important Things

This season, for "Important Things," I am going to think about the characteristics needed to be a successful player in this tennis program. But these are not tennis characteristic, instead they are traits of a life lived in pursuit of Jesus. That is important, because pursuit of Christ leads to maturity, understanding, and the best life possible. It also leads to a better tennis player, which I will explain in each post.

The textual basis for this maturity is 2 Peter 1:5-8

"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. "

So, off we go with the first trait: goodness.

It's been said by some (Soren Kierkegaard for one, who is a brilliant, confusing, Biblical scholar) that purity of heart is to will one thing: the good in every situation. In other words, whatever situation you find yourself in, you want the best thing possible for everyone involved to happen. This is obviously what God wants, and so it should be what we want to as we strive to be like Him.

Of course, like many Biblical ideals, it is easier said than done. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be attentive to it. The basic idea is the cornerstone of belief and maturity in the Christian faith. To will the good in every situation is simply to face one simple fact:

This isn't about you.

Hard as this is to realize, faith is much more about what we do for others. Sin is nothing more than turning away from faith and going in the other direction, and at the root of every sin, and the root of every thing that makes us head in the opposite direction than God, is selfishness. Just think about the "deadly" sins. Wrath: to want one's own way and attempt to get it through uncontrolled anger. Lust: to want one's own sexual desires fulfilled. Greed: to want money and possessions beyond what is needed. There are more, but you get the idea.

Wanting your own way, this selfishness, almost always leads to the oppression and fear of others as a result. Just think about how American greed affects families around the globe who work under the poverty line to provide us with extra possessions we don't need. Or think of the one who bears the wrath of another. Selfishness tears away at others.

And so goodness is turning away from this tendency to worry only about self. Goodness is putting the good of everyone above the best for you. It is an attitude, an intention, that we all must begin with.

In tennis, this is a huge thing. A selfish attitude tears apart a team and builds stress upon all members of the team. A selfish attitude comes out in wrath towards opponents and teammates, who must live in fear and discomfort or even bear the brunt of the wrath. Selfishness comes out in lust for what others have, their position of #1S that you've always wanted, their brand new K-Factor racquet, or the tennis lessons that they've been taking that you can't afford. These attitudes wear and grate on others, oppress them with stress, and stress affects how we begin to play.

Selfishness also breaks down yourself. The problem is, once you begin to think in term's of self, what is good enough? #1 singles? 6-4, 6-3 wins over good players? Undefeated state champion? Where will you be satisfied, and what will you do if you fail? What will you do if you fail?

Because you will.

And selfish people will be alone. There will be few there to help after a loss... unless...

Pursuing the good of the team gives you true teammates, but more than that, it takes the pressure off of you.

It takes the pressure off of you.

You don't have to win, because it isn't about you. The more important thing is how do you respond to your teammates. Think about this...

The match is tied at 2-2, you are playing (or you and your partner), and it is all down to you. You know that if you lose, the team loses. If you win, the team wins. Do you want:

---- A. To know that the team will meet you on the court when you lose, give you a slap on the back. On the way home they will tell you about their favorite points in your match, laugh about how awkward you looked hitting an overhead winner, talk about the next game and how fun that can be. They'll tell you about their match, and you'll listen because you care and want to know their funny stories, their successes, and their failures. You'll arrange to hit on Saturday, because you're all kind of disappointed that you lost and you want to work on your backhand passing shot. They'll stand at the net on a Saturday morning at 9:00 AM and let you pass them over and over and over until you are confident of the work put in. You'll let them serve 50 balls in a row because they double faulted 12 times in their match, which they happened to win, and you're glad because you know that will give them confidence going forward. You leave knowing that you're still disappointed from the loss, but you've worked to put in the time and you've got support and the you will continue to go out and play your best.

---- B. You scream, yell, and curse and no one says anything to you.

Our team will be a team of goodness, of seeking the good of everyone, and it will succeed.