Curling
Hello, my name is Bill, and I am a fan of curling. Say what? That’s right, curling. I watched woefully little of the recent winter Olympics, but it was curling that won me over (even before the U.S. men won the Gold). When I began watching it, I texted my daughters how ridiculous that this glorified “shuffleboard on ice” with players pushing brooms could be labeled a sport. But then the next evening, I was compelled to turn it on again. And the next night, and the next, and soon I was using words like rock, button, hammer, house, burned rock, and “brush, baby, brush” (alright, that last one was mine)!
After all, if you’ve seen one figure skater’s triple axel you’ve seen ‘em all. How can watching a 44 pound “stone” glide down the “sheet” (ice path for you novices) be so riveting? I wonder how I got hooked after ridiculing the event for years. Other Olympic sports have more flare and glamor and speed, but curling unfolds with a refreshing “slowness.” You have time to get a cup of coffee while the “rock” makes its way to the “house,” (you impressed?). The other winter sports – speed skating, skiing, the luge, etc. – come at you fast, just like life. Curling comes at you like we wish life could, slowly, deliberately, intentionally. Curling screams, “Slow down…
think before you act!” Similarly, following Christ is not flashy; nor it is flamboyant or glamorous. Pleasing Christ is done mostly in the routine of everyday life – in the ways you speak to your spouse, do your job, handle your finances, forgive your friend, serve in church, and stay pure. Great occasions for loving and serving and obeying God are rare; but little ones surround us daily.
In many winter sports, scoring is subjective, according to judge’s perspectives. With curling, not so. It’s objective scoring; points are earned by your rocks’ proximity to the button, and the winner is non-debatable. Somehow, to know the rules of the game – even in life – is refreshing. Today’s cultural rules are in an upheaval. The old rules /morals are turned upside down and the secular humanist society calls “good evil and evil good.” Thank God for His unchanging truth, which stands forever.
I know I could never pull off a “half pipe” on a snowboard or an axel of ANY kind. But curling, hey, I can do that! Some team members are shaped like me…and you. Perhaps if I begin working on things now, I could become the oldest member to represent the U.S. curling team in the 2030 Olympics. It’s the “everyman” Olympic event. But do not be fooled. I am told the rigors of curling are great; the skills exacting, and the training intense. Don’t be fooled by the Christian life either. It is an impossible obstacle. There is a cholera outbreak that has stripped away local funds the Villages raised for supporting their operations. Here is the update directly from the Villag-es of Hope (written by Benedict & Kath-leen Schwartz): life, apart from the enablement of the Holy Spirit.
My mind had been closed to curling. I had made my assumptions, drawn my conclusions, and written it off as worthless. I wonder, what else might I have written off prematurely? How about you? It is arrogant to think we know all there is to know about something. What God has not forbidden in His Word, consider opening your mind to, maybe something new. You may even find you like it.
Hmmm….I wonder if that applies to “Star Wars.” Nah, let’s not get carried away!
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Bill