The Cup vs. The Cross

The LA Kings and the New York Rangers head into the NHL finals chasing Lord Stanley’s Cup.  Each team has been through three rounds of playoffs already.  The Kings being asked to do what no team has done thus far in NHL history; win three seven game series prior to the playing in the finals!  This after enduring a long 82 game regular season schedule.

Their legs ache, their lungs burn, and that injury they have kept quiet is screaming, but they keep their eyes on the Cup. “No, you don’t get tired right now,” said Kings forward Marian Gaborik, the former 40-goal scorer for the Rangers. “All you think about is winning the Stanley Cup.”  Nothing slows down their pursuit of the Cup.

“Your heart doesn’t get tired.” Said Kings defenseman Drew Doughty.  “It’s definitely been a grind, but that’s why you play hockey,” Kings forward Jeff Carter said. “We know what we went through to get here, and we’re willing to go through a little more.”

If I did not know any better I would think that hockey right now sounds like a microcosm of the Christian life.  The single-minded drive to win that trophy, or as Paul wrote to the Hebrews;

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:1-2

Kings captain Dustin Brown said that when the body is “begging to stop”, desire, and the glint of a Stanley Cup in the distance is all a player needs to push forward.  Whether it is a first-line superstar like Anze Kopitar or a fourth-line role player, there are no shortcuts allowed this time of year when you are challenging for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

So when the puck drops, or your alarm goes off, let’s drop all that hinders us in the race marked before us and keep our eyes focused on the Lord’s Cross, realizing there are no short cuts in our obedience to Christ.