Galatians 6:9
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Unfortunately, our culture has become one that expects instantaneous great harvests, all the time. God never intended it that way.
When a farmer plants seed, a great crop does not instantaneously spring up. In fact, it would be harmful if it did. A great crop with no roots would simply be blown away and destroyed in the first small wind, let alone a storm.
A good farmer understands that the ground must first be prepared. The best seed must be chosen. The time for planting must be well chosen. The planting must be at the best depth and with enough space between adjacent seeds. The ground must be properly watered. The correct and proper amount of fertilizer must be applied. Pesticides and/or other natural means must be used to make sure the seedlings and crops are not infested. The crops need to be tended and cared for and nurtured. A good farmer chooses just the right time to harvest the crops. Since many of these elements are out of the farmer's control, a good farmer learns to pray, asking God to fill in all the blanks. A good farmer also understands that this takes time. The cultivation of crops is a ministry that takes time.
The cultivation of tennis players also takes time. Strokes have to be developed. Bad habits have to be overcome. Better attitudes have to be developed. Proper nutrition has be learned. Applying new tactics in matches has to be experimented with. Conditioning builds over time. Injuries take time to heal. Just like too much wind may destroy a young plant, too much pressure on a young tennis player may destroy him or her. There is a proper time for harvest for everyone!
Radek Stepanek may be the least known men's Top 20 player. However, he is now the 14th ranked player in the world and has earned over $1,000,000 in prize money alone this year. He is also 30 years old. He is playing his best tennis at age 30, and his future looks bright. He has cultivated a playing style that works very well against today's best male players.
It takes time to bloom!
Prayer
Dear Lord, please be my farmer. Please watch over me as your own. Please help me to persevere in doing good and hard work and to be patient with the results. Please help me to carefully and patiently cultivate those who you have placed in my garden of influence.
Drills
1. Pick an area on the court, maybe marked out in chalk. Feeding balls to the student, see how many balls they can hit in the target in 30 seconds. Do the same thing for two more 30 second periods. Most likely, the number of balls in the target will improve for every 30 second period.
