In a Pickle

I’m a big tennis fan. My love of the game began when I was quite young while watching some of the greats on TV with my dad. Guys like Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and John McEnroe. Later, in high school I even got to play competitively. I guess that’s why the phenomenon of Pickleball caught my attention. Its popularity has soared in recent years. So when I was asked to play, I welcomed the opportunity. I had never played before, but was confident I could pick it up quickly because of my tennis experience.  After all, Pickleball seemed like a cross between tennis and ping pong, right?  How hard could it be? 

Well, the first few hits on the court were awkward, I’ll admit. My agility and hand-eye coordination weren’t what they used to be. Funny how that happens. But, after a while, we got the hang of it. We were doing pretty good. My confidence was building. We were winning. Then, a ball came flying my way that was just beyond my reach, so I began to run for it – backwards. I’m told that’s not a good idea at my age (who knew?). Shuffling back, keeping my eye on the ball, I got tangled up in my feet and went down hard. I tried to break the fall by reaching out my hand (another mistake). My backside slammed down onto the pavement and my head careened into the fence. I had fallen hard. Immediately, I knew it was bad. After several minutes of trying to recover, and with a lot of assistance, I swallowed my pride and limped off the court. The final result of my misplaced confidence and lack of caution was an acute compression fracture in my lumbar, a bruised wrist, and a wounded ego. To make matters worse, we had to delay our flight back to Japan. What have I done?  It was a hard lesson to learn.

As a follower of Jesus, life can sometimes be like my pickleball fiasco. After you’ve been walking with the Lord for many years, you think you’ve got experiences to draw on. You’ve gained some wisdom. You feel strong because you don’t struggle with the same temptations you did before. You’re confident in your ability to withstand the enemy.  That’s exactly when you’re in the most danger! Confidence in yourself will be your downfall, just as it was for me. We can never be confident in our own abilities to withstand temptation (remember Peter’s denials of Christ).  No matter how long we have walked with the Lord, we are still a work in progress. Without caution and reliance on the Holy Spirit, any one of us could fall to temptation and into sin. Leaving us with the shame, the pain, and the consequences that come from those poor choices. 

My pickleball fail reminded me it’s always so much better to walk cautiously and humbly with the Lord. 

So friends, remember….

“Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV