“So keep a sharp lookout, for you don’t know the timetable…stay at your post, watching. You have no idea when the homeowner is returning, whether evening, midnight, cockcrow, or morning. You don’t want him showing up unannounced, with you asleep on the job. I say it to you, and I’m saying it to all: Stay at your post. Keep watch.”
Mark 13: 35-37, MSG
In an instant, David Ayers knew he needed to change—literally. It all went down in the winter months of 2020 while David was casually watching two NHL teams, the Toronto Maples Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes, square off. He was seated in the arena with his wife, Sarah when all of a sudden David was contacted by Carolina’s equipment manager who quickly told him he needed to get up, leave his seat, change his clothes and suit up.
What you may not know is that David was designated as the “Emergency Backup Goalie.” Every NHL arena has an EBUG who, at a moment’s notice, must be prepared to suit up for either team when the starting and second-string goalie goes down. On that night, there were injuries to both Carolina goalies and Ayers’ name was called. In an instant, the 42-year-old amateur who was formerly a Zamboni driver went from spectator to spectacle, stopping a total of 8 shots and securing a win for the Hurricanes. The sight was so special that both sides of the arena gave him a standing ovation. After the game, David’s name went viral and his face popped up on morning shows and sports talk channels for days.
There is a legion of reasons why such stories garner so much attention, but I submit that there’s something gravitational about ordinary people stepping in to do extraordinary things; the world starves to see someone leave the seats, enter the arena and affect the outcome of the game.
What’s seen on the ice can also be said of Sunday morning: Don’t make the mistake of assuming that a church pew is a cozy place to sit and watch as a spectator. Unlike most NHL games, our faith isn’t one that lends itself to sitting back and staying hands-off. Following Jesus means staying vigilant. “Staying at your post” isn’t an excuse to remain sedentary. Rather we’re called to actively keep our eyes peeled for opportunities to step in and change the score.
David’s mom, Mary, did just that. It’s the reason why he was on the ice in the first place. What you also may not know is that David’s hockey career was basically over when he went on the kidney transplant list at age 27. During one interview with a major network, David was speaking of his mother’s strength and sacrificial love; meanwhile, the network surprised him and brought Mary on via a video feed. It was there that she remarked about her utter pride for her son as he finally got to see a dream come true. David wiped away tears as his mother said, “It’s all about him. It’s not all about me and that’s what really matters.”
Who knew the emergency backup goalie had a backup? He stepped in and stepped up only because someone did it for him first. The same could be said of us. I wonder to what extent we’d change the game and affect the score if we lived by the same lines spiritually? “It’s all about him. It’s not all about me and that’s what matters.”
Stay at your post. You’ll have your opportunity.
See You Out There,
