Tennis anyone?

As a tennis enthusiast -- recreational player and fan -- I'm blown away by the herculean effort unfolding on the hallowed lawns of Wimbledon in a single match this week. It's now heading into the third day. The competitors, John Isner (USA) and Nicholas Mahut (France), are locked in a history-making match, literally going where no tennis players have gone before. When darkness forced calling the match yesterday for the second day in a row, they had been out it for a total of 10 hours. The fifth set was tied at 59 games apiece! Astonishing. The physical endurance of these two athletes is mind-boggling, really.

On paper, it ought not to be close. Mahut is ranked almost 150 in the world, and Isner, standing 6' 10" and possessing one of the game's most devastating serves, is ranked 28. Forget that. These guys are in it for the long haul, to say the least. I have not been able to see much of the match, just the last few games late yesterday. But if what I saw is typical of the entire match, the level of effort, determination and power shot-making has been outstanding.

Okay, so what does this have to do with a blog about Christian faith? Well, it just reminds me of the way the apostle Paul spoke about his own life of discipleship, how it was a physical challenge as well as a spiritual one. He talked about training like a professional boxer or running a race like a marathoner. He talked about "pummeling" his body, that is, pushing himself beyond normal limits, to pursue the work he had to do. Professional athletes do that, but they aren't the only ones. Business people often put in long hours of intense labor; sales representatives go all-out day and night to find and serve clients; political officials can forget the 9-5 typical workday; homemakers work well beyond the accepted 40-hour week. I suppose it's a matter of what we are committed to, what motivates us. I can't help wondering what difference it might make if the millions of people who confess Christian faith were as intent on living out their witness as Isner and Mahut are in playing tennis.