God's Coaching #37

God's Coaching #37

For decades, when people pictured a hockey player, an image of a man’s scarred face and mouth with missing teeth would come to mind. That all changed in 1998 when the Nagano Winter Olympics became the first one to feature women’s ice hockey. Not many women in the world played hockey at the time. There were no pro leagues. This was the biggest competition on the biggest stage for the sport.

And the games lived up to the excitement. In the gold-medal contest, the two best teams and biggest rivals—the United States and Canada—played. In the first period, the goalies kept things scoreless. The Americans broke through with two goals in the second period as Shelley Looney tallied on a power play and Sandra Whyte found the back of the net. The Canadians cut the lead to 2–1 with about four minutes left. But in the end the United States won 3–1. The Americans made it all the way through the Olympics undefeated.

What’s the Score?

The American women were overjoyed. The Canadians were devastated—they’d won every world championship since 1987. But both teams felt good because it was a victory for the sport they loved. The 1998 American and Canadian women’s hockey teams opened doors for girls around the world to play hockey. The sport became much more accessible and accepted after that Olympics.

Jesus opened a door for us in a similar way. Before his death and resurrection, only the high priests could come close to meeting directly with God. The Israelites had to follow lots of strict laws and to make animal sacrifices for their sins. There were many barriers between God and the people. But Jesus did away with all those things. He made a door for us to go directly to God. That’s why the Bible calls him our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14). Because of him, we can “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God” (Hebrews 4:16) and relate to him directly. That’s the most important victory ever!

On the Ball

Go boldly to God’s throne by praying. Thank him that Jesus opened the door for you, and ask him who you can open the door for.

Coach’s Comment

Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16