Coming out of retirement

The other night I did something crazy…..I played ball hockey. Now you might be thinking: “What’s so crazy about that? You like Hockey, you played hockey, and you even played some semblance of ball hockey back in your college days” (15 years ago). Well, you are correct. On the surface it doesn’t seem crazy. Until I stepped onto the arena floor.

So, I joined up with a team that has a hard time getting its team members to show up and is often in need of replacement players. So I agreed to go and play for their team at the request of my friend the librarian. I had a real nervous energy going – it has been a long time since I played any form of competitive hockey, and clearly there were some good guys playing. In fact, at 33 years old, I was the oldest guy on my team (other than the goalie). So, I get out for my first shift, we take the ball into the other teams zone, my teammate has the ball in the corner, feeds me a perfect pass in the slot, and the goalie makes the save, and then the other teams defenseman clears the puck, and the other team goes up the other direction – looking to attack our net. By now – the adrenaline has worn off, and I realize that I have to run. And I realize that this rink that we are playing in is huge, and I realize that I haven’t actually run for anything in probably 15 years, because my legs feel like they are stuck in cement. Yikes. Somehow I manage to get up the rink and try to play defence, cause that’s what good hockey players do – but wow – I couldn’t breathe. I realized for the first time – just how out of shape I am in.

You know, I play squash, but the running in squash is short bursts in a small area – ball hockey is sustained running in a large hockey rink. Lord, I was in trouble. Well, I made it back to the bench – caught my breath – and then did ok for the rest of the night. I wasn’t fast – in fact, I was slow – but I didn’t feel like I was dying for the rest of the game – which I take as a good sign.  

I don’t want to get to philosophical on you, because this really is just a story about how fat, slow, and out of shape I am, and the sporting activity that showed me these things. But it reminds me of the command in scripture to discipline ourselves

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

The truth is, I wasn’t prepared to play that game. I was unfit to compete, in fact, although I was only a -1 on the night, and even though my corsi was pretty good (I’ve never had corsi before) because I wasn’t prepared I was a liability to my team.

The same can be true in our lives in other areas as well. For me, God has called and gifted me for certain things that he is preparing for me to accomplish, but if I don’t train, If I’m not prepared for those things – then I will most certainly fail, or perhaps miss the opportunities completely.

I don’t want to be that guy. I want to be prepared to be able to say yes to whatever God throws at me (as much as I can be). I want to stop missing opportunities because I haven’t looked after my health/fitness, or finances, or some other discipline needed in my life. Sometimes people look at discipline and see it as a hindrance – but as I see it now – by being disciplined – you will be FREE to do the things you want to do (like playing ball hockey at a reasonable level of competition), and you will be FREE to do the things that God brings into your life – whether it be some challenge, or opportunity. Being unprepared or unfit, or lazy I can see now is a much bigger hindrance and can hold you captive way more than being disciplined. Discipline leads to freedom. Interesting. Now I need to just put it more into practise.

Ok, I know that this got way more spiritual/philosophical then you were prepared for – so to take us out – I will recommend some music. Take a listen to “Heroes” by Peter Gabriel. It’s a David Bowie cover, and I heard it in an episode of the Netflix beauty “Stranger Things”. And frankly the placement of the song – in the episode was so perfect that I might just recommend you watch “Stranger Things” and wait for the song to come on. It’s so worth it. It’s one of the best uses of song in film or television that I’ve seen/heard in a long freakin’ time. So anyway, that’s my story. Watch “Stranger Things” and wait for Peter Gabriel's’ cover of the David Bowie song “Heroes”. And then if you are really bored you could listen to the David Bowie version, and then listen to the Wallflowers version from the Godzilla soundtrack (I think it was Godzilla) which was a weird soundtrack that I once owned – it had a Puff Daddy/Led Zeppelin song on it. What was I thinking?