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