Obsessions

I'm bursting with God-news; I'm dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened— I'm the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave upon me. Luke 1

There was a period of time last spring when tennis (maybe some ultimate frisbee as well) was the only thing I did. Wake up at 5:45, hit the tennis court at 6 am. Finish homework before 8 pm to cram in more tennis before sleeping. Lunch breaks out on the court. Saturday nights at Whitman's court. Sunday afternoons as study breaks. There's always something... Before tennis it was running. Before running it was slack lining. Before slack lining it was rock climbing. Before rock climbing it was swimming. Before that frisbee, and before that wakeboarding, and before that football, and BEFORE that basketball. There's always been some kind of obsession. Today, is week 3 of the 6 before I can walk again. My obsession isn't with tennis anymore, but physical therapy, fears of love handles replacing muscle, and fear that I won't learn anything from this time of brief paralysis. 

I remember playing tennis one Sunday afternoon with a good friend and we were just finishing up. Counting our neon green balls and zipping up our racket bags. We were headed towards our vehicles when my friend noticed a girl, about our age, sitting in the grass crying. He encouraged me to run over and check on her to see if she needed a ride, to use a phone or something. Instead I assured him that she was probably fine, probably had a phone, and probably just had a rough day. I've thought a lot about that girl these past few weeks. I would do things a little differently if I came across her situation today. So much more of me sees the need to act in kindness, not just when I'm a missionary, a youth group leader, or a camp staff, but anywhere, all the time. I've been so so so blessed to be surrounded by people who take care of me 24-7, always looking out for me, thinking of me first. I want to find that girl and check on her. I want compassion to be my new obsession.