THE TWO BOUNCE RULE
A Pickleball Devotional
In pickleball, there's a unique rule that drives beginners crazy: after the serve, both the serving and receiving teams must let the ball bounce once before volleying. This means the first three shots of every point involve bounces – serve, return, then one more shot. Only after that can you start volleying at the net.
New players find this rule annoying. They want to charge the net immediately and start attacking. But this two-bounce rule is brilliant – it prevents the server from having an unfair advantage and ensures longer, more strategic rallies. It forces you to earn your way to the net rather than just taking it.
The rule recognizes something important: good things take time to develop. You can't skip steps. You have to let the point unfold naturally before you can move into an aggressive position. The patience required by the two-bounce rule is actually what makes pickleball so enjoyable and accessible.
James 1:2-4 - "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
We live in a microwave culture that wants instant spiritual maturity, immediate breakthrough, and quick fixes to complex problems. But God's process involves bounces – times when things have to hit the ground and develop naturally before we can move forward.
That season of waiting isn't wasted time. That job you don't love is teaching you something. That difficult relationship is developing character. That unanswered prayer is building your faith. God's not making you wait because He's slow or doesn't care – He's letting the process unfold so you're actually ready for what comes next.
You can't skip the bounces. You can't rush to spiritual maturity. Trust the process.
Today's Thought: God's delays aren't denials – they're development. Trust the process, not just the outcome.
Reflection Question: What situation are you trying to rush to resolution when God might be asking you to let it "bounce" and develop naturally?