What Are You Playing For?

I was reminiscing about something that happened around this time about 37 years ago. If you have some time, watch this clip from history:

Why do I have you watch that? For 4 reasons. First, I want you to think about what that moment meant for our nation. I know for many today they might look back and think, “It’s just a hockey game.” But for the country at that moment in time, it was so much more than that. We had issues in Iran, Russia, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The economy was in the tank, the overall morale of the country was at an all-time low, there were gasoline shortages, and to top it all off, the 70’s were over and the 80’s were on their way in. This was much more than a hockey game…it was the first bit of good news this country had a very long time.

Secondly, I dare you to tell me where even one of those men who played in that game for the United States is right now (without looking it up on Google, Yahoo!, or any other search engine on the net). Seriously, these were a bunch of guys who loved to play hockey, and who came together some 7 months prior to be a part of a team that did the unthinkable.

That’s the third reason I wanted you to consider this today. In the Disney movie titled, Miracle, we get a glimpse behind the scenes of this incredible story. Coach Herb Brooks took this band of misfits, who, at the start, were only thinking about themselves, and molded them into a team that was more than a team, but a family. They began to not just play with each other, but to play for each other.

The fourth and final reason I want you to consider this game is because I want you to ask yourself the question that is the title of this blog post: What are you playing for? These 20 guys and two coaches were trying to win a medal that will eventually burn up when this world is over. But in the “game” of life, you’re playing for much more than that. There are souls who are going to die and spend eternity in hell if we don’t start working together as a team. We are the church, and we have been called to be the hands of Jesus and the feet of Jesus to the world. It is up to us to share the message of the Gospel with those around us, and we cannot be second best at it.

So what are you playing for? Are you playing for yourself? Or are you playing for each other? Are you playing for the Word of God to be known everywhere people are breathing? Let’s not shrink back from this task! Let’s go for the gold that will never fade or perish!

Think about that today! And God bless you!