And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. Deuteronomy 6:5
Brad Park is widely considered to be one of the best defensemen in NHL history. He is considered by many (myself included) to be the best player in the history of the New York Rangers. With a reputation such as that, many would probably find it surprising that he never won a Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman.
Park's reputation is deserved. He was a five-time first team all-star, and a six-time runner-up in Norris Trophy balloting. Why then, was he never acknowledged as the best at his position? One name answers that question: Bobby Orr.
Park was a "victim" of the era in which he played. Four of the six second place finishes were to Orr while the latter was on a streak of eight consecutive Norris wins. In fact, Orr won three Hart Trophies as league MVP during that span, and had a strong argument for more. To put Orr's accomplishments into perspective, consider these facts: It's almost unheard of for a defenseman to win the Hart, and Orr racked up his accomplishments during a career which spanned only nine full seasons. Orr is also credited with changing the way the game is played since he popularized the concept of a "rushing defensman."
With all that in mind, it's very easy to see why the awards were piled on Orr while Park was left out in the cold, so to speak. At any other time in NHL history, after the introduction of the trophy, Park almost certainly would have won Norris awards. We're all human, and we know how human nature works. We like to win. We like to be acknowledged as being great as something. So, how do you think Park felt about his status as perpetual runner-up?
The answer is easy to find. Park once gave it himself. "I saw no reason to be upset because I was rated second to Bobby Orr. After all, Orr not only was the top defenseman in the game, but he was considered the best player ever to put on a pair of skates. There was nothing insulting about being rated number two to such a super superstar."
That was reality, and Brad Park was man enough to face it. In fact, he even watched Orr's play with the hope of improving his own. "Bobby had a definite influence on my play. I began studying him during the 1968-69 season. While I was recuperating from my broken ankle, I got a chance to watch Bobby a bit closer in a couple of games on television and a couple more in person. I'll tell you this, he slowed things down and when he suckered somebody in, he'd burst around them with his fantastic accelerations." Brad Park accepted that Bobby Orr was first and that he was second, and he made the most of it.
Now, with all of that in your mind, let me ask you some questions. Who is in first place in your life? Is it you? Do you live your life looking out for "number one," trying to put yourself ahead of all others? If you do, you're in for a sad awakening one day. None of us will ever be "number one." This life isn't about us. Rather, it's about Jesus Christ.
I hope you'll forgive the crude illustration, but Jesus Christ is the Bobby Orr to our Brad Park. No matter what we accomplish, and no matter what successes we have in this life, we'll never measure up to Him. To fight that is only to bring misery into our own lives.
Similarly, just as Brad Park determined to better his game by watching Orr's, we can better ourselves by observing Jesus. We have the perfect model for how to live our lives in the Gospel narratives about Him. As great as Orr was, however, and as much as there was for someone who observed him to learn from him, he wasn't perfect. That's not so with Jesus. He is perfect. His example will never fail us.
Ultimately, though, we have to go a step further if we want to make the most out of our lives. It's not enough to simply acknowledge that He's greater than we are and follow the pattern He left for us. We must realize that our purpose in life is His pleasure. That's why we were created. To find the ultimate fulfillment, we must accept Him as Lord and live our lives in His service. Even then, God will be a debtor to no man. Those who have served Him faithfully will receive eternal rewards at the judgment seat of Christ and will hear the greatest words they could ever receive: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
What place do you hold in your life? If it's first place, you've got it all wrong. This is one instance that striving for first won't win. It's a guaranteed loser. Do you want to win? If so, put Jesus Christ first. Are you willing to be second?
Brad Park is widely considered to be one of the best defensemen in NHL history. He is considered by many (myself included) to be the best player in the history of the New York Rangers. With a reputation such as that, many would probably find it surprising that he never won a Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman.
Park's reputation is deserved. He was a five-time first team all-star, and a six-time runner-up in Norris Trophy balloting. Why then, was he never acknowledged as the best at his position? One name answers that question: Bobby Orr.
Park was a "victim" of the era in which he played. Four of the six second place finishes were to Orr while the latter was on a streak of eight consecutive Norris wins. In fact, Orr won three Hart Trophies as league MVP during that span, and had a strong argument for more. To put Orr's accomplishments into perspective, consider these facts: It's almost unheard of for a defenseman to win the Hart, and Orr racked up his accomplishments during a career which spanned only nine full seasons. Orr is also credited with changing the way the game is played since he popularized the concept of a "rushing defensman."
With all that in mind, it's very easy to see why the awards were piled on Orr while Park was left out in the cold, so to speak. At any other time in NHL history, after the introduction of the trophy, Park almost certainly would have won Norris awards. We're all human, and we know how human nature works. We like to win. We like to be acknowledged as being great as something. So, how do you think Park felt about his status as perpetual runner-up?
The answer is easy to find. Park once gave it himself. "I saw no reason to be upset because I was rated second to Bobby Orr. After all, Orr not only was the top defenseman in the game, but he was considered the best player ever to put on a pair of skates. There was nothing insulting about being rated number two to such a super superstar."
That was reality, and Brad Park was man enough to face it. In fact, he even watched Orr's play with the hope of improving his own. "Bobby had a definite influence on my play. I began studying him during the 1968-69 season. While I was recuperating from my broken ankle, I got a chance to watch Bobby a bit closer in a couple of games on television and a couple more in person. I'll tell you this, he slowed things down and when he suckered somebody in, he'd burst around them with his fantastic accelerations." Brad Park accepted that Bobby Orr was first and that he was second, and he made the most of it.
Now, with all of that in your mind, let me ask you some questions. Who is in first place in your life? Is it you? Do you live your life looking out for "number one," trying to put yourself ahead of all others? If you do, you're in for a sad awakening one day. None of us will ever be "number one." This life isn't about us. Rather, it's about Jesus Christ.
I hope you'll forgive the crude illustration, but Jesus Christ is the Bobby Orr to our Brad Park. No matter what we accomplish, and no matter what successes we have in this life, we'll never measure up to Him. To fight that is only to bring misery into our own lives.
Similarly, just as Brad Park determined to better his game by watching Orr's, we can better ourselves by observing Jesus. We have the perfect model for how to live our lives in the Gospel narratives about Him. As great as Orr was, however, and as much as there was for someone who observed him to learn from him, he wasn't perfect. That's not so with Jesus. He is perfect. His example will never fail us.
Ultimately, though, we have to go a step further if we want to make the most out of our lives. It's not enough to simply acknowledge that He's greater than we are and follow the pattern He left for us. We must realize that our purpose in life is His pleasure. That's why we were created. To find the ultimate fulfillment, we must accept Him as Lord and live our lives in His service. Even then, God will be a debtor to no man. Those who have served Him faithfully will receive eternal rewards at the judgment seat of Christ and will hear the greatest words they could ever receive: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
What place do you hold in your life? If it's first place, you've got it all wrong. This is one instance that striving for first won't win. It's a guaranteed loser. Do you want to win? If so, put Jesus Christ first. Are you willing to be second?
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