“Keep your eye on the puck!” the Lord instructed, and right before it “Hellfire! Hellfire! Hellfire!” came. What would YOU think if these words were spoken to you?  “Yikes,” huh? Here are my thoughts about it:

When I looked up the word “hockey,” I found that its etymology means a “shepherd’s staff,” so as a type and shadow, I see a hockey game with its sticks to drive a puck to the goal, represents us using a shepherd’s staff to get to our goal…. even love’s victory. What’s really interesting is that the first ice hockey pucks were made of frozen dung. Another “Yikes!” While thinking about “hellfire” two days later, I heard the words: “Listed as a murderer,” and then, two scriptures came to mind, both having to do with offense: 

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.” (Mark 9: 43- 45)

and: 

“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5: 22)

I believe that the frozen ice puck of manure represents a self-righteous judgment (a negative impression of someone we haven’t let go of that we’ve retained in our memory.) I have concluded this because at around the time this word was given to me, I had spoken about my son’s special “covering” love for people to a friend of mine, and I shared an instance with her of how he had graciously covered a brother in Christ many years ago that I did not like or love. I had let that brother know (NOT in love) that his way was very offensive, and he point-blank let me know that my son had love, and that I did not. Ouch! My heart was convicted and I repented, BUT now I see that my repentance was not complete…. 

We’re called to not just forgive our brethren, but to bless, love and see the best in them…. Yay, to see them as God sees them. When we retain bad impressions of the members of the body of Christ, instead of seeing them white as snow, realizing their flesh is not who they are, we are in the “category of murderers,” and destined to experience the fire of God correcting us in full (#3) measure,….even hellfire. This does not mean that we don’t judge the ways that they have or the sins they commit as being wrong. We certainly need to exercise discernment (righteous judgment) concerning actions, but “locking” God’s beloved up in judgment in our minds having no love for them, is “frozen cow manure”…. 

So come on brethren: Drive all the puck out of your memories and get your lips puckered up with love. It’s time to say “Muwaah!” to those we’ve judged!