Womens Ice Hockey
Hey everyone
Wow! With all the thunder boomin' thru our East Tennessee valleys and hills last night, you might have thought that you were hearing the fireworks they'll fer sure set off at the closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Russia!
But today? After the storms have passed thru…it's gonna be awesome!!! Showers should clear the area after 7 a.m…Expect clearing skies and breezy winds with cooler temperatures returning. Sunny with highs in the middle 50s!!"
If weather were a sport in the Olympics, today would be wearing the gold medal!
Speaking of…
We spent our day-off watching the women's hockey match between the USA and Canada. Wow!! And…dang!! We were tearful right along with those girls! How did our "Neighbors to the North" score two goals to tie it up with less than four minutes left!? That's not how you treat your neighbors! And then to win it and beat us in over-time! I mean, I think Canada's national anthem is cool, but it's not the one we wanted to hear!
After the match ended and the sniffles stopped, I reflected. "Y'know, there are lots of lessons that you learn from sports that you can apply to the life you lead."
Such as…
Here are some lessons I learned upon reflection after the ice was cleared of players and the Zamboni started around the rink…
Lesson #1)
Women hockey players (wonder why they call it "womens ice hockey" but "ladies figure skating"?…) wind up less often on their rear ends than the figure skaters do, even tho' the hockey girls have folks bashing and smashing into them, and even tho' the figure skaters are deliberately trying to NOT end up "up-ended"; their cans…
Lesson #2)
The commentators commentated that the American girls lost because, with a 2-0 lead, they were trying to "not lose" instead of trying to win…
Lesson #3)
I'd noticed that in this Olympics, loads of people have seemed to be elated with winning a silver or bronze medal but all the American players cried when they looked down their noses at the silver that was about to go over their heads and around their necks. One of the announcers (who had a silver medal in women's hockey in her drawer at home) explained that the reason its so heart-breaking to win the silver in hockey is that, unlike other sports, you have to lose to get it.
So, what do these sports lessons teach us and how can we apply them to our Christian life?
I have no idea.
I did read a very cool verse the other day, tho'!
It's in 1 John…Check it…"See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3.1)
I know what to learn from that! We are God's very own kids! HE calls us that! And that makes it true! Even if you come is second! Or third! Or last! Last every time! It doesn't matter 'cause He loves me that much! Coming in second or third is nothing to cry about when He's my very own Dad!
In fact. Peter wrote that to make us His own, it took way more than silver or even gold! "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed…but with the precious blood of Christ!" (1 Peter 1. 18-19)
So, girls, you played awesomely and you made us proud, but if you love Jesus, hockey's only a team! You're in His family! So, dry those tears, ladies!
Opps! I mean, dry those tears, women!
That's it for weather and sports…