By Jackie Freeman
“Pickleball saved your life,” someone said to me recently, after I emerged from a frightening health crisis that included COVID encephalopathy and RABIDO.
I knew what they meant—that staying active had strengthened my body. But my heart whispered the deeper truth: Pickleball didn’t save me. Jesus did.
Finding My Footing After Loss
I discovered pickleball after my husband died. I wasn’t looking to play a sport. I was simply trying to breathe again—to find one small way to step back into a world that suddenly felt unfamiliar.
A friend invited me to try pickleball “just once.” I came with hesitancy and a heart still wrapped in grief. What I found surprised me. Somewhere between the laughter, the movement, and the gentle encouragement of people who didn’t know my story, something awakened.
It was the faint but steady reminder: you are still here…and there is still life to be lived. That little spark eventually became the reason I wrote my first children’s picture book, Bend Your Knees, Louise!
Grace in the Hard Places
Years later, when my health emergency hit, the doctors said my survival was remarkable for “a woman my age.”
They told me that because I had stayed active and had no underlying conditions, my body had reserve strength. I heard them—and I saw God’s fingerprints all over their words.
“In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 NIV). Movement didn’t rescue me. My good health didn’t save me. Jesus did.
But I also believe he used pickleball—the friendships, the laughter, the discipline of showing up—to prepare me long before I knew I would need that strength. God often plants seeds long before the storm arrives.
It’s Never Too Late for Something New
Pickleball has taught me something I hope every woman reading this hears clearly: you are never too old to begin again. Learning something new in the “winter” of my life reminded me that renewal isn’t reserved for the young.
Scripture tells us: “Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV).
Newness is God’s specialty. He invites us into it again and again—through a hobby, a friendship, a ministry, or a creative spark.
Lessons From the Court
Pickleball taught me truths I now carry into my faith:
• Keep your knees bent: a posture of readiness— physically and spiritually.
• Stay centered: much like staying anchored in Christ.
• Celebrate the small wins: because spiritual growth begins with small steps.
• Show up: even when you feel unsure, tired, or afraid.
These aren’t just game strategies. They’re reminders that God works in the quiet, daily moments of our lives.
An Invitation for Your Season
Maybe you’re facing something today that feels heavy. If so, may I gently invite you to consider trying something new?
Not because it will save you—only Christ can do that. But because it may awaken something hopeful within you. Whatever it is, allow God to meet you there. Sometimes the new thing you try today becomes the very tool God uses tomorrow.
Jackie Freeman is an author, speaker, and pickleball enthusiast who encourages women to embrace new beginnings at every season of life.
