God's Coaching #263

God's Coaching #263

“She plays like a girl.” How many times have you heard that phrase? It’s not very flattering to women. Well, Billie Jean King heard it one too many times. Billie Jean, a professional tennis star in the 1960s and 1970s, certainly didn’t need to prove her skills. During her career, she won 12 Grand Slam singles championships and was ranked No. 1 in the world for five years. But she is best remembered for beating a man on the tennis court.

On this day in 1973 in Houston, Texas, Billie Jean played Bobby Riggs in a highly publicized exhibition match. Bobby was a good player—he had won the 1939 Wimbledon championship—but Billie Jean whooped him, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3. Billie Jean’s victory was a milestone for women in sports. In 1990, Life magazine named her one of the “100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century.” And the International Tennis Hall of Fame, where she was inducted in 1987, called her “arguably the single most important female athlete of all time” on its website.

What’s the Score?

Billie Jean’s historic victory proved that even at the highest levels of tennis, skill and heart matter more than gender. In this respect, serving God is not much different from serving a tennis ball: it doesn’t matter what gender you are as long as you want to obey God.

Did you know the Bible includes a story about a woman beating a man too? Judges 4 and 5 tells the story of Deborah, Jael, and Barak—two women and a man. The Israelites were being oppressed by a Canaanite king, Jabin, and his general, Sisera, whose superior army boasted 900 iron chariots—the tanks of ancient warfare. Deborah, a prophetess, asked Barak to fight Jabin’s army, but Barak said he would do it only if Deborah joined him.

Barak’s army eventually defeated Jabin’s forces and won Israel’s freedom. But because Barak showed some fear and didn’t fully trust God, the glory of the victory went to two women. Deborah helped win the battle, and Jael tricked Sisera when he was tired from fighting, killing him in his sleep. The Bible is full of stories of how God uses men to accomplish great things for him. But as this story shows, God uses women, too!

On the Ball

It doesn’t matter if you’re a boy or a girl; it only matters if you are willing to serve him! Pray that God would show you the best way to make a difference for him.

Coach’s Comment

There were few people left in the villages of Israel—until Deborah arose as a mother for Israel. Judges 5:7