In 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul looks back on his life and says:
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7 ESV)
On December 28, 2000, the Atlanta Thrashers were about to face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. I had signed with Atlanta as a free agent in the offseason, but I was not playing well. I was shuffled in and out of the lineup that season, and the coach told me I wouldn’t play against the Rangers that evening. However, he did want me to take warmups in case someone got injured prior to the game, although that rarely happened.
I put on my gear, laced up my skates, and took pregame warmups with my teammates at MSG. Afterwards, I started taking my equipment off when Coach pulled me aside. ‘Adam, you’re in! One of the guys was injured during warmups. Be ready to go!’ Just like that, I was back in the game.
We won convincingly that night, 4–1. I logged a ton of ice time and played really well. In fact, Coach pulled me aside after the game and told me, ‘That’s the best game I’ve ever seen you play.’ Little did I know it would be my last game.
The following night, we traveled to Long Island to take on the Islanders. I’d been experiencing severe back pain but tried to muscle through it. My back held up for a whopping three minutes before several discs ruptured during the game. I would never play hockey again.
Early in my NHL career, it felt like playing hockey was never going to end. Then suddenly, it did. Just like the eight-and-a-half-period marathon game against Pittsburgh (The Longest Game) felt like it was never going to end. But suddenly, it did too.
Our lives may feel like they’re never going to end. But one day, they will. I pray that on that day you hear the Lord tell you, ‘That’s the best game I’ve ever seen you play.’ I hope your last game is your best game.
James describes the brevity of life this way:
“You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14 NKJV)
Greg Koehler’s NHL career consisted of one shift totaling four seconds…
Listen to God’s response:
“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'” (Luke 12:20 ESV)
Translation: Your four seconds are up! You should have leveraged everything you had to love God and love people. Instead, you wasted your life focusing on the unholy trinity: Me, Myself, and I. Now your soul is required of you. Time is up.
Joshua made it clear what he was going to do with his four seconds:
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15 ESV)
What will you do with your four seconds? Make your last game your best game.