I enjoy tennis and the people I play with so much that I can never have a bad day on the courts. I may lose, be frustrated—even discouraged—but this does not make for a bad day. This, however, is not about joy. It is happiness. Happiness is transitory and the result of conditions beyond my control. It is an emotional reaction. So, some days I am happy and other days I am not.
Where does joy come in? Joy is the ability to experience the game regardless of outcome. It is to be on the court with the physical ability to move. It is having the opportunity to spend time in enjoyment, laugh with good people, breathe fresh air. Yes, even to double fault and look forward to the next point. Joy is accepting flooded courts.
There is joy in this because it is not what I do or experience but what is behind what I do, and that is the love of Christ. Joy is the product of gratitude, gratitude for life, and acceptance of all that is good and bad in life. It is the faith that there is something greater than a game, more meaningful than a winning score, to which I can look forward.
The game of tennis is a blessing. Let us worship the giver of blessings—the author of true joy—not the blessing itself.
Click here for more about joy and the abundant life.
Image source: lifetime.life
