12 Good Truths To Remember
When you are playing tennis there is probably nothing that bothers you more than being cheated. In the game of life, there is probably nothing that bothers you more than being lied to. In all reality, people soon discover that lying and cheating are basically first cousins in the sins of life...
We are all hired as officials to help combat cheating in the tennis world. Its not an easy task, and often a thankless task, but that is our lot in life--and we all make the choice to make it our profession. That means we enjoy the benefits of tennis but we also accept the criticism and fiery denials from those who practice cheating. All of that comes with the territory.
On the other hand, LYING is a much more grievous habit that manifests itself in so many undesirable ways. Here are some examples of lying that we encounter in our tennis world...
* A few years ago a collegiate player was accused of spitting on a fan after his singles match. As I had to sort through various versions of "the truth", I met with the young man and said to him, "I am going to ask you one question and I expect you to tell me the truth. Did you spit on this fan?" His quick reply was "no." I knew he was lying but since I (nor any other official) had seen the incident, it went unpunished. The worst part was that he was meeting with his coach before I got to the court and everyone (God included) knew the coach was telling him to lie...
* In a high school dual match the officials gave out numerous codes for behavior and cheating on one of the teams. The infractions even involved having the police remove two of the parents of players. In the ensuing district investigation, the offending team's coaches stood before an athletic committee and lied. Their excuse was "that it never happened." Lying affects not only the players but their coaches too because their players and fans knew their beloved coaches stood and lied.
* In my many years of collegiate officiating, I have read justifications (lies) from coaches, players, and administrators alike that are completely fabricated. Their fabrications are elegant and eloquent but are still lies just the same...
* And what official has never been told by a coach, "You need to remember who pays you when you are making your calls." If confronted with the truth, they would deny every saying it. The sad part is that when a coach or an official cheats, the players know it. Is it really worth destroying the trust of a young athlete because of your lies??
One of the hardest parts of dealing with liars is that they seem to be "winning" in the game of life and even tennis officiating. But then, their victories will soon be short lived.
As we all try to understand people who lie, we often justify lying by saying, "that's just their nature" or "you know how they are." Well, I decided to check out God's view of lying so I went to the "Owner's Manual" and here is what it says:
In Colossians 3:9, He says, "Do not lie to one another." And in Revelation 21:8, God puts it rather plainly...
"...and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone..."
Seems that God takes a dim view of lying and He knows the truth. Maybe people should be a tad more careful when they spout forth an untruth--either in life or on a tennis court or in an office... Fire and brimstone is not a good outcome.
5 comments:
Sic 'em Bears!!!!
I to a point understand that players are going to see the ball the way that they want to see it and know that it was probably a bad call and they get away with it. I also understand to a point that coaches are going to encourage their players to try and get away with making a bad call. That isn't anything new and I am sure plenty of coaches do that, not that it's right, but it is their livelihood and winning is the goal. That is why we are in the chair, to oversee the match and overrule bad calls and keep the match fair. What is more discouraging to me is when other officials on a regular basis make up stories and lie about other officials. Trash them behind their backs and take a small incident and embellish the truth to twist it around and make it much more than what it was. Why would one in authority that new officials look up to and want to emulate and strive to be like, intentionally bad mouth and throw other officials under the bus? Yes there are bad officials, but there are also good ones that are working hard to do a good job and yet their name is continually trashed and they are made fun of in our profession. What does the bible say about that?????
GOOD POINT APRIL 16 9:03
We are getting all moral here - but, ITS TIME WE DID!!!
If you don't have anything nice to say about anyone - SHUT UP!
It may make the pre Officials meeting less interesting - but, it sure will make you seem like a bigger person if you rise above the negative talk about one another. AND you may even be following our "gold book" concerning the Officials Code!
AND - I DO NOT agree that we should say coaches are going to "encourage" cheating - VERY FEW do! That is your perception - NOT FACT!
YES cheating happens and YES that is one reason we are their... but for the most part - we are there to HELP not accuse.
LOVE BACO
If we all believed everything we hear about each other we probably wouldn't run around with ourselves.
Reminds me of the time Knoll got suspended after he got caught in a lie. As someone pointed out, I guess you can lie but if the lie gets caught and then you fess up, it's okay.
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