Taking Two for the Team

Boyd Gordon made a significant sacrifice for his team this week. In a hockey game verse the Columbus Bluejackets he laid down on the ice to block a shot from an opposing player. This was no frail flick of the wrist; Nikita Nikitin swung for the fences and blasted Gordon hard. The shot deflected off of his leg and  rattled around before it was slung back to Kikitin. Boyd found himself limping towards his opponent for a second time as he pull back his stick, eyes fixed on the cold hard puck. What Gordon did next was automatic. Check it out in the video below.

Gordon took two for the team. His first sacrifice shook him up hard. You can see him limping around on the ice trying to play defense. When Nikitin received the puck  a second time Gordon chose to lay down again. The difference between his first and second sacrifice is that he knew exactly how much it was going to hurt.

We dont always make the same choice as Gordon does.It can be easy for us to idealize sacrifice. We may lay down for the sake of others and gain a sense of pride or responsibility. People often take notice and pat us on the back or brag about or selflessness. It feels good to hear about your own generosity. Our $10 gift for Haiti or token offering for a foreign missionary can feel great. It may, in fact, be the cheapest way to start feeling good about yourself (go ahead and try it). When we give to feel good we dont make a sacrifice. This is a transaction and we are on the receiving end of recognition. Sacrifice is giving something that cannot be repaid. It does not need to be reciprocated and may cost greatly.

Boyd Gordon left the ice after making a series of sacrifices for his team. Kikitin was dumfounded by Gordon's willingness to take one two for the team (look at his face at 1:07). Gordon recognized the full cost of the second sacrifice and made it anyways. He laid down for something that could not be repaid by his teammates. None of them would have asked for Boyd to get hurt twice, not for their sake.

When was the last time you took two for the team? That is to say, when was the last time you made a sacrifice that you knew was not going to feel good. When did you last give a measure of time or effort that was not going to be fun? Have you ever made a donation of self that could never be reciprocated by those on the receiving end. Justice and mercy are built on sacrifice. It is those who are willing to make unfair sacrifices that hold the potential to set things right again.