Serena Williams and taming the tongue
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
I’m a tennis fan, and I expected last Saturday’s US Open women’s semifinal between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters to be a great match. However, the result was not anything I anticipated. Serena had a verbal encounter with a linesperson that ended up costing her the match without another ball being played.
(Somehow something got disconnected, so when I watched my tape, all I got was video. What a time to not be able to hear what was said!)
Over the next couple of days Serena released statements, eventually including an apology, but in my mind she was at least a day late and a dollar short. Her outburst had a lasting impression I would not expect from one of “the most prominent female Christian athletes of all.”
(Some would argue that Serena got treated unfairly since Roger Federer cursed at the chair umpire and wasn’t similarly penalized, but he was sitting in his chair, not menacing a linesperson with a tennis racket.)
Thinking on speech-related issues reminds me of the criticism House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received when she and House Majority leader Steny Hoyer wrote, “Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American.” Apparently some people think the 1st Amendment gives them the freedom to speak in such a way that deprives others of the freedom to speak. Go figure.
Our Summer Group discussed James and taming the tongue. Obviously this is a hard lesson, but James 1:19-20 has much wisdom for situations like these:
My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
How would things be different if we were more eager to listen to others rather than ourselves?