[640 words]
One of the games my dad and I played when I was a teen was Ping-Pong. I played against my peers and generally won most games. But when I played my dad, he destroyed me every time. So, I practiced and I practiced and I practiced until one day we played each other and I finally won! He smiled and said, “Sam, I’ve been waiting for this day to come.” Now, as he said this I was thinking he was going to humbly accept his defeat. Not so much. Instead, he continued, “Now I want to play you using my left hand.” That’s when I realized; dad is left-handed. Ugh.
We played again, this time using his left hand, and he didn’t just destroy me; he left me baffled by the whole event. Not only did he beat me, but he played an entirely different style of game that included about nine new serves. I had become accustomed to the serves he conducted with his right hand and now he had nine different and even better serves with his left hand. Ugh.
Well, I’d like to go on and tell you how I traveled overseas to train with master Ping-Pong instructors, learned secret strategies, and mastered 11 unbeatable serves with either hand, but that didn’t happen. What happened is that I just kind of gave up. We haven’t played much since that day.
Besides reliving this childhood drama I have something I wanted to call your attention to from my story. My dad had developed several serves with his right hand and more with his left hand. One of the central ways to win at Ping-Pong is to effectively serve the ball. And in order to beat my dad at Ping-Pong one day I knew I’d have to improve my serve.
Now, let’s move that into another context. Let’s consider the art of serving one another. To be sure, this is not a competitive event and no one ought to be out to beat or destroy another person at serving. Serving is not a game to be won, but rather a blessing to be practiced.
Two concepts from my story may help us improve our serve: One, as there are many ways to serve a Ping-Pong ball, so there are many ways to serve others. It’s easy to look at others with different talents and think, “Sure, I’d serve more if l could do what they’re doing!” Remember, this is not a competitive event. Serving like or better than them is not the goal. The goal is to humbly serve as you are able, and to do so in the name of Jesus.
Two, as learning to serve a Ping-Pong ball takes time and practice, so it will take time and practice to improve your serve. Sometimes we wait for the big opportunity to do something really huge and great for the Lord and when or if that day comes it’s an incredible day and God is glorified. But more often than not what is missed are those daily opportunities to encourage someone, invite someone, show hospitality, send $10 to a good mission work, visit someone who is lonely, or just do something you can do on any ordinary day.
This is how Jesus taught us to improve our serve: “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:34-36). Let’s listen to Jesus and improve our serve.
Sam Pace
via Northwest Church of Christ
Westminster, CO