Complete Devotion

Maria Sharapova winning the French open and completing a career Grand Slam is a feel good story. I remember her when she became a big star as a teenager after winning Wimbledon. Seemed like she had everything going for her. She had the looks and modeling opportunities that come with being a good looking athlete. She was on covers of magazines and even won on the court (unlike a certain once famous tennis player). But then in 2008 after struggling with a shoulder problem it was thought that her tennis career was over. The injury was one that would be hard to comeback from. At this point of her story she could've decided to call it quits. She already had some major accomplishments on the court and could've lived off her stardom and beauty (doing modeling) for years to come. If her drive was to live a happy life then maybe this could've been her choice. But her devotion was to Tennis. Not stardom. Not acheiving monetary success. Not being respected by others. Insightful quote from Sharapova after winning this weekend:

But when your love for something is bigger than all those things, you continue to keep getting up in the morning when it's freezing outside, when you know that it can be the most difficult day, when nothing is working, when you feel like the belief sometimes isn't there from the outside world, and you seem so small. But you can achieve great things when you don't listen to all those things.

The most important thing in her life was Tennis. Nothing else mattered for her. If it meant doing the hard work rehabbing everyday then that's what it would take. Tennis encompassed her whole life. I thought it was interesting that she took private lessons to learn some French for a few months leading up to the French Open in the possibility that she might win and be able to speak to the crowd. That's complete devotion. The question is do I have the same drive and determination for God. Do I go the extra mile? Do I spend each day focused on what I can be doing to glorify Him? If Sharapova's devotion to tennis motivated her to comeback from a serious shoulder injury then what could my devotion to God motivate me to do?