A Solid Defender - On and Off the Field

I am so glad I found a field hockey league here in Salt Lake.  It's been great brushing up on my skills that I haven't used in almost 10 years!  We have a mix of all levels of players, and being co-ed, we have men and women playing.  We also have players from all over the world.  One of the guys, in particular, grew up playing field hockey in South Africa.  He pretty much played field hockey from the time he was able to walk and hold a stick.  On a recent get together, he mentioned that I was a "solid defender."  It meant a lot to me to hear him say that, as he's a more skilled player than I am.  He brought along a couple of other friends that play, too.  They agreed.

As long as I can remember, being on defense was my forte.  I played mid field in field hockey (from middle school through college) and in lacrosse (in college).  I never really had the confidence to play up front on attack, but put me in the the back field and I was right at home.  My goal was not to let you score that point.  So that's where I stayed, and that's where I thrived.

So here my friend was praising me for being
a solid defender.  What did that mean to me? 

What does it feel like being a defender anyway?  Well for starters, we rarely get praised for winning games, because let's face it... the offense does most of the fancy work and sinks the goals.  Most of the time, that's who the spectators come to watch.  Think about it... you don't really go to a NFL game to watch the defense, do you? 


We get pushed around, shoved, and injured to do one thing - protect our goal, and defend our field.  We get pretty territorial when it comes to that.  In that moment, there is nothing more important than to protect the thing that is most valuable to us.  We would do anything to keep the other team from scoring... even taking one for the team. Because our team depends on us.


So what, right? 
Yes, we don't get the glory for scoring the points, but there is one thing that makes it all worth it:

As we're playing hockey, all of this ran through my mind (yup, one of my epiphany moments again).  So I may not be the best at offense, but I'm a great defender.  I may not get the glory, but I may  create the opportunity to potentially win a championship ring - because I work hard, and I have my mind set on a goal.



I'm also a solid defender off the field.  I defend my family and its honor, I defend my rights as a citizen and human, and I defend my faith and testimony.  I may never be on the front lines serving as a missionary or in the armed services, but if asked (or if needed), I will be there to defend the fort; and I would be there to serve as a defender of Virtue and the Kingdom of God.  There is nothing more important to me than to defend those valuable and priceless gifts we've been given.  I may not get any glory for being a defender, but in the end it's defenders like myself who win "the championship."