You Get Better By Playing

 

My friend has been telling me for awhile now how much she enjoys pickle ball and inviting me to join her.  

Often times I'm too tired or have other conflicts but tonight I went to play for the first time.  I immediately moved to the "newbie" court and began to learn the rules, scoring and to begin basic play.  

I was definitely on the right court as my backhand rocketed the ball directly out of bounds every time.  MServing brought back painful memories of the anxiety of stepping up to the line to serve during eighth grade volleyball.  And our newbie group actually had a lot in common with a middle school volleyball game but slowly we began to increase our returns and gain confidence.  

There was also lots of laughter amongst us and it was fun because George was playing on the court next to me.  It was also his first time playing, but his table tennis skills transferred well.  

He had to leave early to go work a game.  And then they asked me to step in and play in his spot.

I immediately declined, knowing I needed A LOT more practice before I would earn a spot there.  But then my friend said, "You get better by playing, not just watching."

That rung true so I pushed through my self-consciousness and played.  They served and hit deep and fast while talking about topspin and controlling precisely where the ball would drop.  I was just trying to make contact with the ball each time! 

In the end I had a couple of nice hits and it was fun and good exercise  with people I like to hang out with.  They were patient with me as well.  And she was right- I needed to keep trying and practicing to get better.  Watching was never going to be the same as participating myself. 

Gospel covenants and principals work in a similar fashion.  While there may be some benefit to watching others and learning from and admiring good examples, ultimately we have to try them ourselves to get the full benefits.  

Sister Joy D Jones taught, "Accidental conversion is not a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Becoming like our Savior will not happen randomly." 

Technically she was talking about parents teaching their children, but it's pretty difficult to teach our children things we don't ourselves do.  And there are glorious promises awaiting us if we will just take those first steps and try.  

It may be awkward, uncomfortable or make us self-conscious at first but if we persevere He will keep his promises.  He doesn't demand overnight perfection, but he does love and honor effort. 

We get better by playing, not just watching.