March Madness!
It's March Madness time, and I love it! I grew up in Indiana, where there is a basketball hoop in every driveway, and high school gyms are jam-packed during the hoops season. Indiana is home to fourteen of the sixteen largest high school courts in the country. The movie Hoosiers, which pits tiny Milan High School, enrollment (161), against the behemoth Muncie Central Bearcats, is one of the most highly rated sports movies of all time. This year, Indianapolis is hosting the entire tournament. I was born in Indy and grew up a few miles down the interstate in Anderson. The Circle City is the home of the NCAA. The Hoosier state is March Madness country.
The NCAA men's and women's tournaments are my favorite sporting events. So, you may ask, "Hamilton, why do you like the Big Dance more than other sporting events." Well, I am about to tell you.
Three words: David and Goliath. I've loved this Bible story since I was a kid. Here's the gist of the narrative. The prophet, Samuel, was told by God to go to Jesse's home and pick out a new king for Israel. Jesse had eight sons, which he paraded before Samuel so that Sam could determine the right man for the job.
The scenario reminds me of how we used to determine basketball teams for pick-up games. Two captains, usually the two best players, would start choosing teammates among all of us who were anxiously waiting to be picked. We all hoped that we would not be left standing alone and embarrassed to be the last one chosen. The last one selected was considered the worst player. This method of the draft perfectly destroyed one's ego. It took me years of intense therapy to get over it!
All of the likely candidates paraded before Samuel, but each time Samuel turned them down. Finally, he asked if there were any other brothers in the family. "Well, there's little David. We left him out in the field tending the sheep. He's not the one you want." Samuel called for David anyway. As soon as David entered the room, Samuel knew that this was God's man. The little shepherd boy, David, became the next ruler of God's chosen people.
Fast forward. The army of Israel is being humiliated by one giant man named Goliath. Goliath was a monster of a soldier, and the entire Israeli army shuddered in fear every time Goliath stepped onto the battlefield. No one had the guts to face him in battle. Meanwhile, the Philistine army, led by their ringer, the "G" man, taunted their opponents. It reminds me of the Frenchman's scene in Monty Python's classic, The Holy Grail. (You will have to look that one up!)
Then David showed up. You know the rest of the story.
Every year, small and sometimes little-known colleges show up at the NCAA tournament. Sixty-eight Division One teams from all over the U.S. get the opportunity to challenge the rest. Everyone gets an equal chance, despite the size of the school. The contest always includes Cinderella stories. For instance, this weekend, tiny Oral Roberts University, enrollment 3,462, will take-on Arkansas, which has over 23,000 students. This small religious school has already taken down Ohio State (over 60,000 students) and Florida with over 50,000! David vs. Goliath, if there ever was one. That's what I like about March Madness.
David was the last one to be picked. Actually, out of all of his big hunk brothers, he was the only one chosen. God has a heart for the little guy. It's always been that way. He took a no-name group of people and made a powerful nation that still exists today - Israel. This tiny little country in the middle east is a major world player. The Captain finds obscure, seemingly powerless people and uses them in marvelous ways. He changes the world through fishermen and homemakers, shepherds and tax-collectors, young mothers, and old grandfathers. He gives special attention to children, the elderly, the chronically ill, and the mentally ill. He shows no preference for ethnicity, education, wealth, or physical prowess. Coach "J" picks the least likely people, loves them, and empowers them to face down Goliaths.
So, what does this mean for you and me?
Are you a nobody? If so, you are in a great spot to see God work in your life. The story of God working through humanity is full of no-name players from little-known places.
You've heard of Mary, the mother of Jesus, right? I have a question. Can you name Mary's mother and father? I doubt it. There is some speculation about their names, but of one thing we are sure – they are obscure figures of history compared to their daughter. Here's another question. How did Mary develop so much trust in God and willingness to obey at such a young age? I venture to report that Mary's parents raised her well! Perhaps your one big job in life is to raise your child well. And, if your prodigy becomes famous, you will likely remain obscure. All the while, you might have changed history. There are no small jobs or insignificant people in God's economy. Jesse and his wife must have done something right to raise a young man like David. By the way, who taught David how to make a slingshot?
Who built the stable that housed the Son of God at His birth? Who taught a man named Joseph to live with such great integrity and faith? Who taught Jesus the Scriptures as he grew in "wisdom and stature" with God and humanity? What was his Sunday School teacher's name? Who helped convince Jesus' brother that his sibling was the Messiah? Who were the people who built the steps of the temple upon which Jesus preached the Good News to a waiting world? What were the servant's names who brought Jesus several large jars of water that became wine? What were the names of the friends who carried the person with paralysis to Jesus? And, who opened their home for Jesus Bible study where some guys tore a hole in the roof? Who cleaned up the mess? Who were the people that brought Jesus news that his close friend, Lazarus, had died? What was the little boy's name who offered his sack lunch from which Jesus fed 5,000 people? Who taught him to be so generous? Who farmed the wheat that made the bread that fed 5,000? Who caught the fish?
Who raised the donkey upon which Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday? Who made the linen that wrapped the Savior after His crucifixion? Who carved out the slab upon which He was laid? Who built the building that housed the Upper Room in which he first revealed Himself as risen from the dead?
I repeat, there are no small jobs or small people in God's economy. Don't sell yourself short when you seem to be the last one picked to play. In God's realm, the last are first, and the first are last.
God will use each of us when we simply respond to him as David responded to Samuel. "I'll do whatever God wants me to do, whether it is shepherding, ruling, or everything in between." When you employ this attitude about each aspect of your life, even mundane tasks like washing dishes or laundry take on meaning. When God calls your name, step forward and let Him show you what He can do through you. You won't regret it.
By the way, seven of the sweet sixteen teams left in the tournament have some Christian religious affiliation. I'm pretty sure God loves March Madness too!
Live Inspired!
