I’ve learned lots of life lessons on a tennis court since I began playing at age ten. The first was when my mama the ever-energetic PE teacher dragged my sister, myself, and a couple other sedentary-gravitating (Mama preferred the word “lazy”) neighborhood kids out onto a sizzling tennis court day after hot summer day: “Many skills don’t come easy, but when you finally get there, it’s worth the work.”
Another memorable life lesson I acquired as a young mom trying to escape the confining obligations of adulting by taking weekly tennis getaway lessons was from a seasoned pro who frequently said: “Tennis is a game of emergencies. Learn to adjust.”
At first I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I soon found that life is a matter of systematic emergencies too, and adjusting is crucial if you wanna stay in the game.
Not talking about huge, life-altering emergencies, but the kind of sudden, unexpected everyday decisions that arise before you, and you must quickly choose your course of action – your response. The responses you choose to adjust to a situation cannot be random or careless, because they will affect other decisions like toppling dominoes and eventually alter the course of your entire life.
These everyday emergencies are of utmost importance in shaping us into who we become, although we don’t usually realize it at the time.
As it applies to tennis, adjusting means to assess what’s working and what isn’t, and then tweak your norm. If your normally lethal drop shot keeps dumping into the net today, STOP repeating your mistake and go for sharp angles instead. If the opposing doubles players are good lobbers, back up and expect to get deep balls. If your overhead smash isn’t smashing, switch to lobbing the lobbers, even if you’d rather stick hot needles in your eyes. If your rotator cuff is ornery and your serve stinks, throw in some unexpected underhand slices.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Logical. Obvious. But to me, it’s not. I emphatically don’t like change and if something is tried and true, I’m deadset on sticking with it.
Only now it’s not is tried and true. It’s was tried and true.
Of late, as you may already know if you follow me via this blog and/or FB (and I hope you do!), I’ve been trying to adjust to two new knees on a tennis court and it’s slow going, let me tell you. Definitely a major adjustment and I’ve been stubbornly resisting changes. Why? Because I played a certain style and strategy for five decades and I’m finally realizing, in the words of my late granny, it don’t work no mo’.
Creature of habit that I am, I keep beating the dead horse (another of my granny’s colloquolisms that always made me wince – who wants to beat a horse, dead or otherwise?). I’m trying in vain to play like I used to, but light is dawning that – like it or not – I need new strategies, different specialty shots, and a rethunk game plan.
Because tennis is a game of emergencies.
And, my friend, so is life. Dealing with the constantly emerging emergencies requires patience, motivation, and certainly innovation. We must be willing to tweak, adjust, and redirect our energies to solve each and every new problem as it pops up. We often need to develop new skills to handle old dilemmas because the way we’ve always done it just don’t work no mo’.
That’s the bad news. But the good news is that which don’t work no mo’ was only one plan. One way of doing things. The good news is: there are countless other plans, other ways of doing it. And the good Lord is standing by, happy to help us adjust and redirect our responses to life’s constant emergencies.
“We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps” (Proverbs 16:9 NLT).
So, dear BFF (Blessed Friend Forever), what everyday emergencies have you adjusted to lately? 
P.S. I just learned yesterday that my new devo, Bless Your Heart: Daily Devotions to Warm Your Heart & Feed Your Soul, was announced as a finalist in the Selah Christian Book Awards! Praise Papa God! This is the third literary award Bless Your Heart has been named as a finalist for this year and I’m amazed and deeply honored. All glory to our God! And gratitude to you, sweet BFFs, for supporting all my books and buying copies of Bless Your Heart for the special ladies in your life.
P.S.S. Speaking of which, did you know Bless Your Heart is now popping up in Walmart and other retail and grocery stores across the country? I would GREATLY appreciate it if you’d check the Inspirational bookshelves in your fave stores next time you’re there and if you see it, post a photo (and tag me!). Many thanks!