Are you in a ready position?

I learn many spiritual lessons from playing tennis. One of them is the importance of being in the “ready position.”

The ready position is a combination of proper footing, racket grip, alertness and responsiveness to the ball coming at you. The idea being, that if you are truly ready to hit the ball correctly when it bounces to where you stand, you will hit it back well and stay in the game.

When players miss shots, it’s often because they are not in the ready position. As a result, they hit the ball sloppily from an off balance stance, or miss it altogether. You have to be in the ready position to win in tennis!

Yesterday, while playing singles, I pondered the parallels between being in the ready position for tennis and being in a ready position for life’s challenges.

The purpose of prayer and avid spiritual study is to keep us mentally in the ready position so that whatever the carnal mind throws at us, we are ready to deal with effectively and stay in the game of life.

Some aspirants to heavenly good take a lackadaisical approach to their spiritual growth. They wait until a problem transpires before they turn to God for help. Some wing it when trouble arises, or play off the cuff. Others run hot and cold depending upon the mood of the moment. And some commit to a regular routine and study that keeps their thought immersed in truth sufficiently to be ready for success when challenges arise.

From lessons in tennis, this last mental position is the most desirable for dealing with life’s challenges and surprises effectively.

Interestingly, in tennis, if you have enough talent, and your opponent is easy to play, you can wing it on several shots and still stay in the game. But as soon as the shots coming back get tougher and faster, the more ready you have to be. You can’t slough off and expect to win. If you’re not in a ready position, the ball whizzes by you and your point is lost.

As the competition accelerates, to win and get the ball back, you have to be in a ready position. And that requires one to think, look, plan, and be prepared. A good player does not wait until the ball gets to him before he responds. He responds before the ball arrives.

In life, it pays to be in the ready position.

Some “shots,” or demands, come at us from easy directions, slow speeds and down an obvious course that make it easy for us to respond. We adjust on the spur of the moment and come out fine. But other “shots” come from unforeseen angles, unexpected places and with wicked spins that catch us by surprise. If we’re ready, we are not surprised. We get the ball back. But if we’re caught resting on our heels, letting our thought wander or not paying attention, boom, that ball zips by us and we wonder what happened.

To master life's opportunities quickest, stay in the ready position. Prayer and study will keep you there!

“Divinity is always ready. Semper paratus is Truth's motto.” Mary Baker Eddy

Always prepared

Yesterday, we stopped at the local fire station to borrow a life jacket for a river outing my family was taking that afternoon. The fire department loans out jackets to community members as a public service and promotion of safety.

After a very successful and happy time on the river with my wife and teenagers, I stopped at the station on the way home to return the preserver. As I walked through the station to find a fireman, I was impressed at the ready state of their equipment.

The doors to the fire trucks were wide open. Jackets, helmets, boots, bags of equipment and more, were in well placed positions for the men and women to grab on the run and not waste a second thinking about how to prepare for a call.

I thought, “Wow!” What if we were all as mentally prepared to respond to calls for spiritual help as these firemen were ready to respond to fires?

For instance, have you ever noticed a problem in your family that needed healing, but said, “I’ll get to it later?” For a fireman, that delay is not good enough. It could mean the difference between a house burning down or a little damage in the kitchen. In serious circumstances, it could mean the difference between saving a life or not.

Have you ever walked by a suffering invalid and not thought much about their pain because you were preoccupied with something else? As I write this, I ask, isn’t the person’s suffering the equivalent of a burning fire in your local community that needs to be put out to prevent further suffering?

Hmmm...I found much to think about after my short stroll by the fire engine with the open doors...

Again, I asked, have I ever procrastinated praying about problems in my life that needed healing now? Yes, to be honest. Isn't that similar to letting a spark grow into a flame, into a fire, and then into a full blown blaze? I pondered. A ready fireman would not approve of any type of delay, ever! He wants the fire out as soon as possible, because he knows what happens when a flame is allowed to find more fuel.

It’s amazing how many lessons one can learn from walking 50 feet through a fire station.

I resolved to work on “keeping my doors” open like the firemen had their truck doors open this afternoon—ready for them to take their seat and respond to the calls for help without delay.

It sounds like a safe way to protect a community—and in reference to our discussion above—any community of thought that we circulate in.

Hope you had a happy 4th...

Are your fields prepared?

Two farmers prayed to God for rain to water their crops. One farmer prepared his fields for an expected downpour. The other did not. Which farmer had faith that his prayers would be answered?

I was struck by the below passage in Hebrews on the role faith plays in prayers that bear fruit.

“By an act of faith, Enoch skipped death completely. ‘They looked all over and couldn’t find him because God had taken him.’ We know on the basis of reliable testimony that before he was taken ‘he pleased God.’

“It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.” The Message

Have you prepared your fields today? Do you expect your prayers to be answered?