Teens, Tennis and Toughness

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Teens, Tennis and Toughness

Welcome to Three-Peat Tuesday!

Each weekly blog will contain three P’s: Pillar, Principle and Practical, all geared towards nourishing you on your personal and spiritual growth journey.

Pillar: Tough Times

“If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength!”-Proverbs 24:10

Principle: Tough Tennis

With parents from Romania and China and with British citizenship, teenaged tennis player Emma Raducana went from a virtual unknown to an instant star. For the first time in tennis history, a qualifier (someone who had to play pre-qualification matches before getting into the first round) not only reached a Grand Slam final, but remarkably went on to win it.

Notice her words to America’s ABC network as recorded by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). She said: “From a young age, I’ve always been brought up to have mental strength.” Beautiful. Mental strength from a young age. This is refreshing, especially as mental health in sport is finally getting much needed attention.

Let us not forget that it was mere months ago during the Wimbledon Championships that Raducanu was forced to withdraw due to breathing difficulties. Talk about coming back with a bang! Raducanu is now a Grand Slam champion, beating fellow teenager Canadian Leylah Fernandez in the final. Another teenager, American Coco Gauff reached the women’s doubles final at the US Open, making it a wonderful weekend for women and girls in sport.

We will all faces trouble. Hardships in life are guaranteed. Yet, Proverbs 24 above encourages us not to falter in times of difficulty. Whether through prayer or getting support from close friends, we can and must tap into that internal strength necessary to overcome the tough times along life’s journey.

Well done, Emma. You were not floored by your difficulties, you humbly learned from them and now the world stands in admiration of your incredible victory.

Practical: Tough Teens

Applaud the resilient teenagers in your life. Let them know that they are appreciated.

If you were inspired by this blog, please consider sharing it with one other person today. To learn more about these and other related themes that promote the cultivation of an integrated inner self, read UNBEATABLE! which is now available on Amazon in print and as an e-book.

This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. Ronke+Cunningham

    God is clearly sending a message to me to keep at it. Just recently I started praying for the mental toughness and complete dependence on Him to take me through my challenging times, that I will not falter when things don’t go as I planned. Talking with friends and allowing God’s truth to counsel my heart is helping me to grow in this area.

  2. J. Tyrone Marcus

    Indeed, Ronke. God keeps refining all of our characters through the lean periods but the final outcome is always worth it.

  3. Ronke+Cunningham

    And thanks for the reminder to applaud our resilient teenagers and of course young adults. The more we praise them and catch them doing right, the more they will soar.

  4. Michelle Marcus

    The interview was super inspiring and it was great seeing the mental strength she spoke about throughout the time she spent talking. It is a reinforcer that when you want something, to go for it. The sky is the limit. I continue to be inspired to do even more.

  5. Roxanne Grant

    For me I have to pray for mental toughness in all situations. I can be mentally with some things and not with others, I’ve been through some difficult times where I had to be mentally tough so when I fail at other things I sometimes wonder if I’m just being weak or lazy. Thanks for the reminder and encouragement to keep at it because it’s worth it.

  6. J. Tyrone Marcus

    I appreciate your openness, Roxanne. You’re definitely not alone on this journey.

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