I bought a new hockey stick the other day.  And I started to reflect on how important my stick is to me. I think everyone who has a hobby takes pride in the instruments or equipment they use to participate. I don’t know, but maybe some people will only buy a certain kind of knitting needle, or their automotive tools have to be a certain brand.

We do that because, for some reason, when we wield our weapon it has to feel right in our hands. For me, the hockey stick starts with a curve … and it’s getting harder to find my curve pattern in stores.  They make a Hall curve, an Iginla curve, or a Crosby curve, but not a Silcock curve.

I don’t know why they change things. People get used to an article of clothing and for some reason they change it on you or stop making it for a newer, slightly different model. I’ve had to change my sticks over the years.

I moved from a wood stick to a carbon shaft with a wood blade, and for several years I just replaced the blade of the stick. But now my sticks are one piece all carbon, have a heal curve (Lidstrom pattern), and are ten times lighter than the old wood ones.

Once I buy a stick I still have to prep it. You know, break it in or customize it.  I cut off about eighteen inches and insert a wood handle that’s tapered to fit my hand better. My son says I should only pay half price since I only use half a stick.

For me, it’s not just a matter of going to the store and picking out a twig to use on ice. There’s a lot of thought and work that goes into getting it ready.  I take a rasp to the end of the stick to get the right shape for my hand.  And then there’s the tape job.

Taping my stick is not a quick process. The handle has to have the right size of nob on the end, and I tape the blade of my stick from toe to heal. I make sure there are no creases in the tape and that the overlap is consistent along the whole blade.

I finish it all off by coating the stick with ice wax. The wax seals the tape onto the stick and prevents moisture from getting in. Basically, it strengthens the tape on my stick and makes me feel that the puck will stick to my blade when I’m stick handling around other players.

That’s it, I’m done. Then I hold the stick in my hands and picture the goals I will score and the moves I’ll make with my new weapon of choice.

Here’s the things: If I will take that much time and care to make sure my hockey stick is just the way I like it, I need to put the same kind of thought into making my relationship with God just like I want it to be, and how He has designed it to be.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you put a lot of time and effort into so that it is just the way you want it? Leave a comment below.