But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
After every NHL season, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is presented to the "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability." An enforcer or a player known for rough play cannot win the trophy, no matter how skilled they are or how well they perform on the ice. Stan Mikita won the award in 1967 and 1968, but just two years before his first win, no one would have ever dreamed that he would ever receive it. You see, there was a key event in Stan Mikita's life that caused him to change his style from that of a bruiser to the sport's ultimate gentleman.
Five times in the early years of his career, Mikita was in the top 10 of all players in the NHL in penalty minutes, amassing anywhere from 97 to 154 PIM in those seasons. He was known as a dirty player -- a reputation that he very much deserved -- and everyone knew not to mess with him on the ice. While no one likes a dirty player that doesn't play for the team he cheers for, that physical style of play has always been considered to be a part of hockey. Everyone understood that, and no one asked questions... Well, almost no one, that is.
Upon returning from a road trip, Mikita's wife told him a story that made him re-evaluate his style of play. She and their daughter had watched one of the Black Hawks' road games, and the young girl had asked her mother a question: "Why does Daddy spend so much time sitting down?" Mikita's wife related that story to her husband when he arrived home.
For a moment, try to put yourself in Mikita's place. What would you say? Would you really want to say, "Well, Sweetheart, Daddy breaks the rules a lot and does mean things to people?" Of course not! Neither did Mikita. He credits that incident for changing him as a player. The effect was immediately noticeable. In 1964-65, he had 154 penalty minutes. That number fell to 58 in 1965-66 and 12 in 1966-67. He never again had more than 85 PIM in a season or finished in the top 10 in that stat. In fact, he's generally now thought of as a gentlemanly player.
Mikita's daughter was watching him, and there are people who watch you. Maybe they're your children, your grandchildren, or your nieces and nephews. Maybe they're not related to you. Maybe they're not children. It doesn't really matter who they are; the way you live your life in front of them is what you're telling them life should be like. If someone were to come to you and ask you why you do the things you do, could you answer in confidence, or would it be a sting to your conscience in the way that Mikita's daughter's question was?
If life had a penalty box, how much time would you spend sitting down? Would someone be likely to ask why you spend so much time sitting down? We're all human. As long as we're in this life, there's no such thing as sinless perfection, but the times that we fall should be the exception rather than the rule. It would have been a lot easier for Mikita to answer his daughter in one of the seasons that he had 12 penalty minutes than the one in which he had 154. By the same token, if our lives are lived in accordance to the principles of God's word, it will be much easier for us to give the answer about the hope that is within us. That's what makes us ready to give the answer.
Stan Mikita's penalty minutes are now a matter of record, and nothing can change that. Your past is in the past, and nothing can change it. You can, however, change the future. Is there something in your life that would discourage someone from wanting Jesus Christ in his heart because your life tells him it's not worth it? If so, do what Stan Mikita did. Repent of those things and with the help of God, turn over a new leaf.
I Peter 3:15-17
Five times in the early years of his career, Mikita was in the top 10 of all players in the NHL in penalty minutes, amassing anywhere from 97 to 154 PIM in those seasons. He was known as a dirty player -- a reputation that he very much deserved -- and everyone knew not to mess with him on the ice. While no one likes a dirty player that doesn't play for the team he cheers for, that physical style of play has always been considered to be a part of hockey. Everyone understood that, and no one asked questions... Well, almost no one, that is.
Upon returning from a road trip, Mikita's wife told him a story that made him re-evaluate his style of play. She and their daughter had watched one of the Black Hawks' road games, and the young girl had asked her mother a question: "Why does Daddy spend so much time sitting down?" Mikita's wife related that story to her husband when he arrived home.
For a moment, try to put yourself in Mikita's place. What would you say? Would you really want to say, "Well, Sweetheart, Daddy breaks the rules a lot and does mean things to people?" Of course not! Neither did Mikita. He credits that incident for changing him as a player. The effect was immediately noticeable. In 1964-65, he had 154 penalty minutes. That number fell to 58 in 1965-66 and 12 in 1966-67. He never again had more than 85 PIM in a season or finished in the top 10 in that stat. In fact, he's generally now thought of as a gentlemanly player.
Mikita's daughter was watching him, and there are people who watch you. Maybe they're your children, your grandchildren, or your nieces and nephews. Maybe they're not related to you. Maybe they're not children. It doesn't really matter who they are; the way you live your life in front of them is what you're telling them life should be like. If someone were to come to you and ask you why you do the things you do, could you answer in confidence, or would it be a sting to your conscience in the way that Mikita's daughter's question was?
If life had a penalty box, how much time would you spend sitting down? Would someone be likely to ask why you spend so much time sitting down? We're all human. As long as we're in this life, there's no such thing as sinless perfection, but the times that we fall should be the exception rather than the rule. It would have been a lot easier for Mikita to answer his daughter in one of the seasons that he had 12 penalty minutes than the one in which he had 154. By the same token, if our lives are lived in accordance to the principles of God's word, it will be much easier for us to give the answer about the hope that is within us. That's what makes us ready to give the answer.
Stan Mikita's penalty minutes are now a matter of record, and nothing can change that. Your past is in the past, and nothing can change it. You can, however, change the future. Is there something in your life that would discourage someone from wanting Jesus Christ in his heart because your life tells him it's not worth it? If so, do what Stan Mikita did. Repent of those things and with the help of God, turn over a new leaf.
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