The joy of the Lord is your strength.
Roger Federer recently defeated Gilles Simon in the 2nd round of the 2011 Australian Open. He had never defeated Simon. He won the first two sets, lost the next two, and barely won the 5th to advance. In the post-match interview Jim Courier asked Federer what motivated him to keep playing so hard since he has won more grand slams than anyone and is recognized by many as the greatest to ever play the game. Federer simply responded, "the joy of the game." As Federer and Simon shook hands at the net after the match, joy enveloped them. It was on their faces. They could not help but smile as they embraced at the net and walked off the court together.
Tennis joy is not reserved for grand slam champions. A close friend and I have it out playing mini-tennis and take joy in our own and the other's spectacular senior shots. I am blessed to hit with some of the top juniors in the south, and despite our age differences, we enjoy the competition and enhancing our games.
I recently asked one of the tennis pros in our academy, a former NCAA champion, to tell our academy kids what he would do different if he could be a junior again. The first and only thing he said was that he wished he had enjoyed the game more.
Joy is a great source of strength. In this passage, Ezra, the great prophet, is admonishing the people to end their time of grief, and choose to rejoice. There is a time to grieve, but there is also a time to rejoice. I believe one important reason the Lord gave us tennis is for joy. When tennis becomes a burden, it is probably not playing a healthy role in life.
Many people believe that joy is just a feeling. It is also a choice, an act of the will. There are many ways to view the challenges that come our way. The Word encourages us to count it ALL joy. That's because our character, our understanding of ourselves, our relationship with God, and our relationship with others grows through trials.
Prayer
Lord, please help me to find joy in playing tennis and joy in life. Please give me a heart that rejoices, a will that chooses joy, a countenance of contentment, and an infectious spirit of joy that pleases You and inspires those around me. Amen in the Name of Jesus
Drill(s)
1. Celebration. I usually take the kids off one on one for just five minutes. I have them hit balls as hard as they can over the fences and into the fences. Pure fun. I then feed them some balls and ask them to rejoice in something about every shot they hit.
