I captain a USTA Senior Men’s 3.5 tennis team. What a great group of guys!

We played our first level tournament last weekend, and out of 10 teams, placed 2nd, which was just enough to advance to sectionals in Sunriver in Oregon this June. We are excited and ready to go! What fun.

A Bible story came to life for me in my last match of the tournament.

My partner and I won our first set 6-4 and went into a set tie-break for the 2nd set. We lost the tie-break and went into a 10 point match tie-break. The other team felt like they had the momentum. They were fighting hard. They really wanted to win the match! We did too, though, so weren’t giving in.

It was neck and neck through the match tie-break. 1-2, 3-2, 4-5, and so on right up to 9-9. The other side served again. We won the next point. 10-9 for us. Yay! The opponent who missed his return, though, got upset and slammed his racket on the net along with making a loud verbal outburst of angst targeted at himself. I didn’t notice at all, because he had done the same several times during the match, and I had learned to take no note. Just move on. It was his problem, not mine. I picked up the balls and walked to the baseline to serve.

When I turned around to toss the ball, though, the other three players were at the net shaking hands like the match was finished.

What had happened? I was confused.

I quickly discovered that the referee had penalized the opponent one point for his outburst. Suddenly, the score was 11-9. We were the winners. The match was finished.

Oh, my goodness! I thought. That wasn’t how I wanted to finish the game, but the verdict was rendered. The referee had the final say. There was no going back.

Evidently, the referee had given the opponent a warning earlier to cool it, but at during the very point obedience was most critical, he slipped again, and his error cost him the match. He was bummed.

And here’s the Bible story that came to mind:

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Luke 12:35-40 ESV

Our “master” is the Christ consciousness we are to entertain, reflect and live. If we slip into selfishness, ignorance and neglect, we may allow mortal shortcomings and poor attitudes to take over our thinking. At critical moments, we may fail to rise to the occasion and demonstrate the right state of mind that warrants success.

Like for my opponent who slipped and failed to maintain the Christ-attitude, the penalty for neglect may be severe. The thief of mortal mind robbed him of a potential victory. And he was bummed.

Don’t let the thief rob you today! Stay alert and on guard. Keep Christ first and foremost in thought and success will be yours.

On to sectionals we go… Yay!