Last night Wesley and I got to go to the Maple Leafs home opener. If you’re a hockey fan or live anywhere near Toronto, you understand that these tickets are impossible to get. Often, it’s not even a question of money but availability when it comes to high profile games like the home opener, especially against the hated Montréal Canadiens. In this case, we received the tickets as a gift from my Dad’s boss.
We had an awesome time, and Wesley consumed far more junk food than I ever would’ve thought physically possible for a boy of his size. For most of the night he was bold and outgoing, cheering loudly talking to people and making his way through crowds without fear.
As we consider the special nature of this gift, I took the time to remind Wesley of the most important and most precious gift that we’ve ever received. The grace of God made available through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of an awesome gift. Worth far more than we could ever hope to earn or pay, it was a gift given in love with the goal of instilling delight in the goodness of the giver and the goodness of the gift.
I was surprised and delighted (and humbled!) when Wesley became quiet for a while on the subway on the way to the game and then with concerned look on his face turned to me and said, “Daddy, these people on the train don’t know Jesus!” How incredible that where I saw strangers, stereotypes and potential dangers, Wesley saw a large group of people who are in need of a Saviour.