Having played High School hockey one season, I learned that
sudden death in overtime was exactly what it sounded like. As the clock was
reset to 5 minutes, the pressure to out-perform and defeat the competition was
the ultimate goal… or was the ultimate “goal”, the ultimate way to defeat… oh
bother… it was one or the other I am sure. So out ran the seconds, until one or
the other of the teams got the puck tucked into the crease and into the net;
after much boarding, checking, tripping and all-out war on the ice. It usually
came with lots of name-calling; a verbal punishment, thought to distract the
competition long enough to steal the prize, and outright fouls to gain a few
seconds away from the pressure, giving time to take those few extra breaths to
suck in just a bit more air. And last but not least… let’s pull the goalie! Wow…
What a game! But, somebody had to win… right? I never could positively gauge
who the best team was… now who put forth the best effort that was different! It
seems that since teams are made up of members, each had to be the best every
day and that was not always easy. There were injuries, personal problems and
distractions outside the game that they carried onto the ice, and of course team
dynamics… ah… nothing worse than jealousy, and resentment to knock the stuffing
out of an otherwise good line.
So it is in life. It seems, as time creeps on, that there
may be more indications that we may go into overtime after all. I hear lots of
people arguing that the end is near and since there hasn't been anyone who has
got it right thus far, I am thinking that God’s plan of “sudden death overtime”
is more to the mark. We are challenged on every side to do what is right. The
battle for truth is like the battle for right… what is truth and who is right?
Well… now that is the ultimate set of questions! Eugene Peterson once told me
that it is simply a matter of decision making for people. It is that simple… we
decide for ourselves what shall be the truth we adhere to, and that is what
makes what is being done, right. When we choose the Christian faith, our route
in life becomes our “way of life”, not just a guarantee to eternal bliss. The
battles are still going on all around us, confronting us on every side. Don’t
agree? Think back over the past few days. How many times have you been
disappointed, wanted to shout in anger or perhaps just wanted to give up in
defeat? There are lots of emotions that I could name, but each carries with it
the challenge to stay on the path we have chosen to take, no matter how hard
and how rough that path may be moment by moment.
The Bible says that the war is not over yet and I lean
toward that thought. Only God can win this one. Having tripped and fallen more
than once in life, I know that I am neither strong enough nor smart enough to
win this for me. Without Him and the blessing of the “Christ” this ol’ tent of
flesh would just be another casualty of the war. So I cling to the “Old Rugged
Cross”, so to speak. What Christ accomplished there for me is more than I could
ever dream of and it wasn't just for me. Oh, I know… it is up to each to make
up his or her own mind for themselves. That’s freedom right?
So what is God doing? He is giving us the prescribed
periods, set forth in this life event, to make the right moves, follow the
proper strategy and make every attempt to attain the “proper” goals. Then, when
there seems to be no end in sight He will call “A Sudden Death Overtime”. Not a
good analogy? Well, I work with the simple theory… one of those “Kiss”
principles… keep it simple stupid! In that time the true winner will be Christ
and He will give those, who may still be doubters, an opportunity to repent, Those
who don’t will just be on another defeated team. Who wouldn't want to be on the
team who has the ultimate player, the foremost athlete, the strongest, yet most
selfless team-member, who has shown his ability to win, even when it looks like
defeat is imminent? That sudden death overtime can be scary, but it is like
being afraid of the dark. If we are not prepared for the darkness to fall, by
knowing that there is nothing to fear, we will certainly feel a stressful
discomfort as it nears.
I’ve been playing on Christ’s team for a long time. I have
not always been the best team member and have carried my personal trials on and
off the ice more than once and have even been sidelined with injuries caused by
my own folly. To say that I don’t deserve to be on the team would be correct,
but for one thing… no one is. That is the beauty of God’s grace. As much as I
fall down, He expects me to get up and go at it again, a little humbler than
before maybe, but equipped with the same armour as everyone else. That is if I
do my part and follow the path, the plan or the strategy, that leads to the
ultimate goal. It takes teamwork to. There is no place here for one-man teams
in this game. There is especially no place for team members to outthink the
Coach. And when it comes time to get on with the game, the only thing on our
minds should be the strategy set out for us… this is not the time to fear the
outcome or second guess Him who has knowledge of every move the enemy will
make. If I “FEAR” the overtime game I am
depending on what I can do, not on what God has already done. After all what is
there that God can’t do?
The thing that alarms me most, even for our Christian family,
is that even though there may be a struggle with some about both God’s omnipotence
and His omniscience… whether we like it or not we serve a Sovereign God. If you
get stuck on those big words take time to Google them… it will do your soul
good! This weekend we have celebrated one of the great Seasons of the Christian
calendar year. God, incarnate with us, showed His love by dying for us, paying
the price for sin past present and future, for those who will love and serve
Him (See John 3:16) and then gave us the hope of eternal life with him as he
was resurrected from the grave. Some will struggle with walking out that far
into their belief system today and in future. For me it is a matter of course,
a set my choice patterns along my path in a “living” faith. Living on the edge
may be tenuous at times, but I have always been a bit of a radical from the old
world’s point of view… or so my father always said! LOL… It is always just in
how you define the view from there!
