Lessons from Wimbledon

I’ll be honest, I don’t usually watch sport (or much TV at all, really). But a positive Covid test has left me confined to home, resting on the sofa. And seeing as that co-incided with Wimbledon, I’ve been following the tournament much more this year than usual. In some ways it helps that I was coming to it almost blind: I haven’t watched tennis for years, so most of the people playing are new to me, and I have been watching with very little background knowledge or understanding… just watching.

And yesterday as I watched, I felt God comment. Some Christians think that when God speaks it has to be about grand, other-worldly and eternal issues. But when you walk with God on a daily basis as friends, conscious of His presence with you wherever you go and whatever you are doing, it is only natural that you and He will chat about whatever you are watching/ doing. And yesterday, just like my friends sharing comments on Facebook about the matches we were watching, God also had a couple of comments to make as we watched together. He will speak to us about and through anything, if we listen…

I was watching the match between Andy Murray and John Isner when He spoke. At some point when Murray was not doing well, a commentator referred to Venus Williams’ surprise defeat (in a match I had not seen) and – I think – mentioned something about Williams and Murray being giants in their field… or maybe that was just how I interpreted what he said. Either way, I immediately felt God say “the giants are falling: they have had their day and the old guard are waning” – and I felt its significance as a picture of the Church: it’s time for those who used to dominate the scene to pass the baton on to those carrying a new fire.
It’s particularly interesting that both Williams and Murray were trying to make a come-back after injury, because they didn’t feel willing/ ready to retire… but the season has clearly moved on. Just like in the Church, where it is clearly now a new era and those who are trying to cling to the old, however they mastered the game before, just will not succeed now. Their season has passed.

I didn’t watch the Williams/ Tan game, but I heard that Harmony Tan was light-footed and adaptable, changing up her game-play as needed. Both of those things are absolutely key to this new season: not being weighed down, but streamlined, able to move freely and immediately as required; not restricted to one main area of strength, but able to flow in multiple gifts and graces, as needed. And her name Harmony is also a sign of the need for us to be united, flowing together as one: we are all different notes that when played together in the right time and place make a far more glorious sound than one single note.

There is also a key in Isner’s defeat of Murray, the other ‘giant’. Isner was a formidable opponent – I commented that I’d want full body armour to be on the receiving end of one of his serves! It was the combination of focus and power that rendered his serves so unstoppable. So too do we need that focus and power in this season: as our gaze is fixed absolutely on Jesus, and we move with honed experience in the power of the Holy Spirit, the enemy’s chance of even returning fire will be greatly diminished.

But there was a caution about the New that came from a previous match: Raducanu v Garcia. Everyone thought Raducanu, the young & rising star, was a favourite – but to me watching she seemed immature & lacking in experience, almost complacent, and already weary! Whereas Garcia was ready, focused and just did what she came to do, with no fuss, defeating Emma pretty easily.
I see this as such a clear warning to those who have readily rejected the old and embraced the New: even though we are undoubtedly in a new season we cannot take success for granted. Ushering in the new will not come easy. There is still MUCH focus and training needed.
The commentators on her match kept referring to how many new coaches Raducanu had hired and fired since her US Open win. She was quoted as saying she didn’t need the last chance of physical training but was more focused on her mental state. Obviously she HAD trained physically to a high standard already, so I’m not passing judgement on her, it just stood out to me as a significant comment for us to learn from – how many of us think we have trained enough spiritually & are in good enough form, but are overlooking the need to keep honing our fitness & readiness? And I don’t know the details, but have to consider – maybe if Raducanu hadn’t worked her way through a series of coaches she would have been more stable? We need maturity and stability as well as a pioneering spirit. We all need mentors and those around us who will keep grounding, challenging and stretching us.
So may we all stay humble and keep embracing the challenges as well as the glory of the road that is before us – it’s a New era for sure, but not for the complacent. Holy Spirit, be our mentor always I pray, & help us keep our eyes fixed always and only on Jesus.