January 6, 2022

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?  –1 Corinthians 3:16

For my last tennis season of high school, Ella was my tennis partner. She constantly uplifted me during practice and matches. I cannot help but smile around her. Once, she mentioned that she attends church. I thought, “That makes sense.” 

During a league match, the sky was blotted with dense clouds and wind blew tennis balls off course. The chilling weather added to my nervousness as we warmed up and served the first point. Before every point, Ella and I both mouthed, “You got this!” Even after hitting a ball out, we continued to cheer each other on. Yet, I felt so defeated after we lost the first set, knowing how hard we both played. However, we continued to push through and won the second set. Ella shouted with excitement, “Thank the Lord!” 

She recognized God’s presence? I realized I had not thought about God at all! My anxiousness to win the match was all that dwelled in my mind. Despite this, His Spirit had been in my midst the entire time. All I had to do was open my eyes. “Praise the Lord,” I replied. 

We just needed to win the 10-point tiebreaker to win the whole game. Each point felt like a mountain, but I felt God conquer each one. Ella made me realize I am God’s temple and His Spirit fills me. Because of this acknowledgement, we won. 

We don’t need to be in a church to recognize his presence, because God’s Spirit surrounds us, always. 

Sydney C.