Double faults and Prayers Welcome

I read an article in the New York Times today which made me smile. It was about tennis. Tennis is one sport that I know very little about but which can easily hypnotize me when the ball is being smacked back and forth between players.

Apparently this year as the US Open began, many of the female players are having problems with their serves and having “double faults.” I think that I had heard of a double fault before, but I really did not have an idea of what it actually was.

Before this article I viewed the serve as just another element of tennis and did not search for similarities with other sports. Naturally, the author of the article compared the serve to basketball free throws.

The tennis player controls the tennis ball only during the serve. This was interesting for me to think about and to accept. And it provided a wobbly way for me to think about prayer.

When we pray we control our messages to God. How we pray is a personal decision.

Prayer, like a good tennis serve, does require both practice and effort. We need to give ourselves time to examine our lives, our hearts, and our souls. Each time we pray, it becomes a little easier, becomes more natural. Each time we pray hopefully we become a little bit better at it.

As a spectator I never really considered the idea that anyone had control of the tiny furry tennis ball. I remember my tennis playing days as saying a prayer to hit the tennis ball, saying a prayer for the ball to fly across the net, saying a prayer for the ball to land in the appropriate box. At no point would I have imagined or accepted the idea that I was in control of that fuzzy yellow ball.

As a child prayer was always a big part of my life. In the morning, I sometimes overheard my Grandmother softly praying at the side of her bed before starting her day, then there were prayers before each meal, and then, there were bedtime prayers. Also, occasionally special visitors caused special prayers to be said. The prayers were of praise, thanks, remembrance, and requests for “clean hearts” and “pure minds” of various family members. Widows and orphans were also always included. For a long time I considered praying to be beautiful, complicated recitations filled with familiar names, praising and thanking God, and a reminder that we all are sinners and all always need God’s help.

When a tennis player serves, they must focus their attention on the tennis ball. They must forget everything else that might be occurring around them. For a brief instance it is them and the tennis ball.

When we pray, it should be the same way. Our minds should focus attention on God. We must try not to be distracted by things happening near us. We need to take time and communicate with God. What we say is private, personal.

I wonder how many “double faults” I have committed.