Revd Canon Grace Thomas shared this Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2's Good Morning Sunday breakfast show, reflecting on doubles matches at Wimbledon and covenantal relationships.
I love watching the tennis at Wimbledon, and doubles matches are a thing to behold. The way the players work in sync, covering one another, ducking and jumping – making plans in whispers behind their hands. All to ultimately achieve their one goal – that point, that game, that set, that match.
And, today, as it is my 24th wedding anniversary, you may think there is a seamless link to be made – my partnership with my husband, Gareth, being like the perfect doubles partnership.
But, here’s the thing, folks. As I probably don’t need to say, marriage is not exactly like a tennis match!
Frankly, our partnership works because we often have different goals and different interests. I’m an eternal student, for example – which Gareth finds plain weird. He loves to play board games for hours and hours, which, frankly, baffles me. We have different gifts and therefore different paths in our work lives. We do, obviously, have many shared interests and values, but the crucial thing is that we honour the uniqueness of each other, too.
Relationships like this are ‘covenantal’. That is, they involve a commitment to love and support one another – to enable one another to flourish and grow. As a Christian, I believe this is like the relationship that God has with me. I seek to love and honour God, and God loves and cares for me. It’s a beautiful mutual relationship, summed up by Jesus when he says, ‘I have come to bring you life in all its fullness’
Such relationships are precious things. It’s not just Gareth I have a covenantal relationship with – I also have one with my children, with other family and friends, and I am very thankful for them. Covenantal relationships require investment, commitment, and, yes, a good deal of patience.
For example, I confess that, 24 years ago, on our wedding day, Tim Henman was playing in the semifinals at Wimbledon. Such is my love of the game that I frequently snuck away from the festivities to catch the match on the hotel TV.
I am, indeed, hugely grateful that my doubles partner in life is so very, very forgiving!