Tennis Anyone?
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
I am a pitiful tennis player. My limited ability creates a situation where it is increasingly important that I am selective with the balls I attempt to hit back over the net. If there is any chance the ball coming at me will be out, it is probably best to let it go and not interact with it at all. The outcome of my choice to interact has a high probability of being negative.
In life, as in a game of tennis, we must accept the balls of reality that fly over the net at us. But it is completely our choice to hit those balls back over the net...
Or not.
Much of Jesus' message is based on "resist not evil". Why? Because when we resist something, when we interact with it, we keep it in play. I have always been fascinated with this verse, and I believe the tennis analogy touches on its deep truth.
What are our choices when we are faced with negativity? How do we respond when someone or something is throwing off our game? Our first option with that "ball" is to hit it back and interact with it fully. The second, is to watch where it lands, and thus make a judgment regarding whether or not we should have hit it. Of course this option is worthless to the specific point in play, this event in our life has passed, but it may prove to be a teachable moment for a later game. The final option is to simply let it go, not to interact with it, not to watch it, not to judge it in any way.
I pray every day that I will have the resolve to stop playing the finite games I wish to no longer play and focus all my energy on an eternal perspective.
I especially hope to shed those destructive games of solitaire. The games we play with ourselves are the toughest to shake. We must remind ourselves that what we choose to hit back over the net not only stays in play, but comes back at us.
By making the choice to hit a ball back over the net, we give life to the game, but if we simply allow the ball to go flying out of bounds without resisting or interacting with it... Game over.
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
- Mahatma Gandhi
I am looking forward to your thoughts. Michele
In life, as in a game of tennis, we must accept the balls of reality that fly over the net at us. But it is completely our choice to hit those balls back over the net...
Or not.
Much of Jesus' message is based on "resist not evil". Why? Because when we resist something, when we interact with it, we keep it in play. I have always been fascinated with this verse, and I believe the tennis analogy touches on its deep truth.
What are our choices when we are faced with negativity? How do we respond when someone or something is throwing off our game? Our first option with that "ball" is to hit it back and interact with it fully. The second, is to watch where it lands, and thus make a judgment regarding whether or not we should have hit it. Of course this option is worthless to the specific point in play, this event in our life has passed, but it may prove to be a teachable moment for a later game. The final option is to simply let it go, not to interact with it, not to watch it, not to judge it in any way.
I especially hope to shed those destructive games of solitaire. The games we play with ourselves are the toughest to shake. We must remind ourselves that what we choose to hit back over the net not only stays in play, but comes back at us.
By making the choice to hit a ball back over the net, we give life to the game, but if we simply allow the ball to go flying out of bounds without resisting or interacting with it... Game over.
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
- Mahatma Gandhi
I am looking forward to your thoughts. Michele
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