Tip of My Iceberg

Isley’s the shortest one on the volleyball team. There are those who are six to eight inches taller than she is. Her passion and enthusiasm for the sport makes up for her dearth of height. She defies the standard.

Sports can be a quirky situation. Many people love to play, beginning as youngsters, investing in learning the game, and improving their skill sets.

Sports are not equal opportunity situations. It helps to be a person of height to play basketball and volleyball. It is to an individual’s benefit to be a person of heft to play the defensive line in football. It’s an asset to have speed if one is a running back, quarterback, soccer player, or running track.

There have been those who defy the standard.

Muggsy Bogues is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, yet he had a 14-year NBA career. He had a 44-inch vertical leap which few his height could achieve. U.S. Olympian Debbie Green was only 5 feet, 4 inches tall and was told she was too short to play volleyball. She didn’t listen to her doubters but became part of the U.S. 1984 silver medal winners. Neither of these individuals listened to those who said it couldn’t be done.

Isley’s team hasn’t had a great season. They’re all learning how to play together, allowing their skill sets to blend to make a a dynamic team. Their last tournament, they lost most of their games–except the last set. They beat a stronger team by combining what they each did well.

Too often in life we have mental pictures of what is the “right way” to do things, the “right person” to do them with an expected “right result”.

Life isn’t that predictable.

When Israel was looking for a new king, the one chosen to lead God’s people was a teenager with no experience leading anything other than sheep and goats. David was a passionate young man who loved God. His older brothers were part of the army fighting the Philistine forces and their champion, a giant of a man who was estimated to be as tall as 9 feet, 9 inches. David was sent as a messenger to the front by his father to find out how his brothers were faring.

Goliath taunted the armies of Israel twice a day for forty days, and no one had the courage to go against him. David offered to fight the Philistine himself, and everyone thought him crazy. David believed he could defeat the one nobody else would attempt to fight.

When David confronted Goliath, who was fully outfitted with heavy armor and a variety of weapons, the giant mocked him for his ridiculousness.

“David replied to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of heaven’s Armies–the God of the armies of Israel. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!’” 1 Samuel 17:45-46.

David didn’t fit the type to fight against an experienced warrior at least twice his size. He had no practical battle skills, but he defeated the giant.

We all confront giants in our lives–people, jobs, expectations, things bigger than we think we can handle. Like David, we can confront our fears, anxieties, and the things that seem too big to handle with God’s help. He is trustworthy to be stronger, more courageous than anything or anyone we face. It’s not about our ability to conquer anything.

It’s about God’s ability to conquer everything.

Isley doesn’t look like a typical volleyball player; she doesn’t fit the type. But her courage and willingness to keep trying is allowing her to develop skills that improve her playing ability.

Our trust in God gives us strength to deal with what we can’t imagine dealing with. We may not feel like we’re the type to claim victory, but with God, we have all the strength we need.

What giants are you currently facing?