God's Coaching #24

God's Coaching #24

Scoring in some sports is easier than in others. A final score of 5–3 in a basketball game would be ridiculous because scoring is so simple. But a 2–1 hockey game is normal because getting the puck past a goalie and into the net is difficult. But in 1981, Mike Bossy of the New York Islanders made scoring goals look easy.

On this day in 1981, Mike entered a game against the Quebec Nordiques with 48 goals in the first 49 games of the season. He needed just two goals to notch 50 goals in 50 games—a feat that had only been accomplished by hockey great Maurice “Rocket” Richard during the 1944–45 season. Of course, the Nordiques knew Mike was close to tying the record, so they covered him like a blanket. For the first two periods, Mike rarely saw the puck and never got a shot on goal.

It looked like Mike’s dream of tying the record would end, until he scored a power-play goal with just over four minutes remaining in the game. Minutes later, Mike got a perfect pass from Bryan Trottier and tallied his fiftieth goal of the year, setting off a huge celebration in the Nassau Coliseum.

What’s the Score?

When a lot of players would’ve thought the game was over, Mike Bossy worked extra hard to reach his goal of scoring 50 goals in the first 50 games. Have you ever been in a game when nothing was going right for you? Maybe your team wasn’t passing the ball to you or a really good defender was guarding you. Did you give up or try harder? Mike tried harder. For more than 55 minutes of the hockey game, he didn’t have a chance to score. Then bang-boom, he found the back of the net twice and made history.

The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 3:14, “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Whether it’s a class at school or playing for a team, you need to try your hardest until the end of the race.

On the Ball

When you always try your best, you honor God. And when you give your best effort to follow Jesus and to live for him, you can accomplish great things. Reaching your goal in living for Jesus might not cause a celebration at the Nassau Coliseum, but it will create a huge party in heaven.

Coach’s Comment

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philippians 3:14