pickleball problems.
I’m going to tell you something that happened today. Yes, I’m writing this in real time. Which is a little exposing because this can’t be one of those stories that you look back on in a year and laugh at because it was in the past. This is like, still fresh. So don’t judge, okay?
You know when you just care a little too much? You’re trying so hard to be perfect that you actually make yourself look worse? Maybe that’s just me, but I’m guessing probably not. This definitely wasn’t the first time this has happened to me, but today was just one of those days.
Pickleball and I have always had a rough relationship. Growing up playing tennis for years, it’s hard for me to switch to pickleball because it’s similar but not the same. Let’s get one thing clear, it’s a pickleball PADDLE, not a racquet. And yes, someone did try to tell me once that it’s a racquet. Sorry, not sorry. Just setting the record straight. And if you think that pickleball is better than tennis, then I’m sorry but *politely*, you’re wrong. On behalf of everyone who plays tennis, and I say this with the MOST love, stop confusing our tennis courts for pickleball courts. Tennis is already on the decline, it just hurts more when you steal our courts. Please and thank youuu! Even though I do have a little beef with pickleball, I still loveee to play with my friends because it’s the perfect weekend activity here at school! Catch me outside every weekend in the spring playing with my girls (pickleball princesses, you know who you are).
Today I was playing with some friends that I really enjoy hanging out with, but also really wanted to impress. Instead of choosing to laugh at myself for being a little rusty, I got sooo discouraged. The competitive side of me that I don’t like came out. I suddenly forgot everything I knew about how to keep score, and literally missed the ball multiple times. Good news, I hit the air (insert eye roll). Each loss stung worse than the last, and I left the court talking myself into never playing again. Okay that’s a little dramatic, but it was actually so embarrassing. There’s nothing worse than starting out feeling ready to win and then leaving feeling like it was the first time you’ve ever picked up a paddle. Brb signing up for private lessons asap.
Afterwards, I called my coach back home (aka my amazing, wonderful Dad who taught me everything I know about tennis) and told him how frustrated I was. He reminded me of the truth: one bad match doesn’t determine the athlete’s career. Even the pros have matches they wish they could throw in the garbage and never think about again. And although my matches today weren’t even close to being as intense as a professional match (trust me, ask my friends), the truth still applies. One bad afternoon of pickleball means nothing in the grand scheme of friendship. If anything, it strengthens friends because it allows for better teamwork/communication.
Why do I bring up this super embarrassing story about my pickleball misfortunes? I promise it wasn’t to expose myself, I already did plenty of that today. As I was thinking through how my afternoon went, I realized that this is super similar to our journey of faith. When we start out following Jesus, we aren’t pros. Actually, you could follow Jesus your whole life and never be a pro. I think that’s why, when seasons of discouragement come, we are so quick to bench ourselves. We think that because we can’t love Jesus as much as ___ does, or love reading the Bible like ___ does, then we are a failure of a Christian. Sometimes, the lie creeps in that it would be better for us to just not try at all than to give Jesus an imperfect, messy part of our heart. We don’t want Him to see us struggling to hit the ball over the net, we want Him to see us when we’re smashing it into the other court for the winning point.
But that’s not how faith works! The Google definition of faith is “complete trust or confidence in someone or something.” Faith has nothing to do with our ability to hit the ball at all. Faith is believing that the Creator of the game knows how to play it best. In other words, it isn’t confidence in our ability to have faith that makes us faithful, it’s confidence in God’s ability to be faithful to us that creates faith in our hearts.
2 Timothy 2:13 says, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.” This verse has been such an encouragement to my heart in moments when I’d rather sit on the bench than live out my faith. Even in the moments when you fail to love God with your whole heart, He loves you with His. He has promised to be faithful to His people, even when they reject Him. In the moments when your faith feels weak and you aren’t sure you can endure, take heart in what John writes in 1 John 3:19-20, “This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.” He is more faithful to you than what your faithless heart tells you. God is greater than your weaknesses!
I’m grateful that God used a silly little pickleball match today to remind me that the source of my faith and hope isn’t in my amazing pickleball skills. My faith is set secure in the promise of my faithful God! Next time you feel weary, or you lose hard in pickleball, just remember that God is faithful to you, no matter what! Even when you lose. He loves your whole heart!
xoxo, Han