As I write this, I’m watching hockey.

Hockey.

But not just any hockey. I’m watching NHL playoff hockey. And not just playoff hockey. I’m watching the decisive game 7 of an NHL hockey playoff series.

Did I mention that it’s between two teams from Canada?

Eh?

Why in the world would I be up past 10p watching two teams from another country play a sport that I would never normally watch?

Because it’s the playoffs, and the intensity and drama of it all grabs my attention and won’t let me go, but only because the players are giving it everything they’ve got.

High-pressure moments compel us to watch, but high performance under that pressure keeps me watching.

So many things in the world seem to point to these days we’re living in being the end times, and maybe they are. One thing we know for sure is that there is increasing pressure growing against followers of Jesus in the current age. We can whine about it, or we can shine in the spotlight as the world is watching.

James wrote concerning this when he encouraged the church about how to face trials:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1:2-3, emphasis mine)

There’s just something about people facing adversity with joy that is hard to look away from. I’m reminding of this truth every time The B99 and I watch The Amazing Race. All the teams face the same challenges, but some teams fight about it, or point out how their partner made a mistake that cost them, or are just generally hard to root for.

Guess which teams aren’t hard to root for? The ones who face the challenges with joy, and determination, and who maintain the ability to believe in each other even when things don’t go well.

We might watch a person have a meltdown under pressure (ok, we will absolutely watch that), but that’s not what keeps us watching. What keeps us watching is the joyful perseverance of the ones under pressure. The team who keeps fighting, and keeps smiling, and keeps believing in one another.

Which is why I’m turning off the hockey game. Not because it’s over, but because one team wilted under the pressure while I was writing, and the game’s no longer compelling.

Might I suggest that’s one reason why the world has decided to turn off the church? We’ve wilted under the pressure, and allowed fear to motivate us to make power grabs so we can stop the pressure instead of enduring the pressure with joy.

But there’s still time. This hockey game may be over, but ours isn’t. Let’s get back out there and allow the pressure to make us stronger, which will in turn make us even more joyful.

You know, the kind of people that other people root for.