The Underdog
"You can do it!"
"Come on!"
"We believe in you!"
The girls in the dorm room next door could probably hear all our cheering and yelling through the thin walls. As our eyes were glued to the TV one night this past week, my roommates and I rooted for our favorite Olympic athletes. I'm a pretty big fan of the Olympic Games, so I've been watching the Olympics non-stop ever since they began. The more I watch the events, the more I find myself celebrating and yelling with the audience. With this, I have discovered that I'm not necessarily a supporter of the USA as much as I am a fan of the underdogs. I don't wish harm on the athletes from my country, but I find myself cheering for the contestants who are unlikely to win, far behind, or small names in the sport.
Have you seen any of the Visa commercials during the Olympics? Most of the ones I have seen highlight a particular "underdog" and tell his or her inspirational story of unlikely success. For example, one commercial shows an Asian ice skating pair that attempted a challenging throw. The strong man threw the young lady into the air and she twirled beautifully over the ice only to fall in a horrible landing that looked very painful. The commercial goes on to narrarate how the couple didn't give up, but pressed on to win the silver medal, even when no one thought that was possible.
When I was watching the women's mogul competition, I learned that one skier had undergone somewhere around eight knee surgeries. She wasn't from the USA, but I just had to root for her! Anyone who has been through that deserves a medal! Or what about that female figure skater from Japan? In the biography they showed about her, they elaborated on how young she was and how much pressure was placed on her by her family and country. Of course I cheered for her! And when that seventeen-year-old skier began her race, I shouted for her all the way! One of my favorite events is the snowboard cross, and no matter how the race is going, I always root for the guy in last place.
As I was reflecting on my obsession with the Olympic Games and how I love the underdogs, I began to see something more. Just like I tend to root for the unlikely candidates, our awesome God cheers on the underdogs. He chooses the weak and He loves the losers. He supports the unlikely winners and shouts the names of those who seem to go unnoticed. He cheers with all His heart for you and for me! What great news! You may be in last place. You may be the weakest one. You may be falling or struggling. You may be the most unlikely candidate for love and grace, but God is cheering for you.
We don't deserve it, but He mercifully chooses us even when we are the most unlikely ones, the ones that should be picked last. Then, He generously believes in us and cheers us on even when we are least expected to win gold. That's just how unbelievably great His love is! Hear His voice shouting your name. Feel His love supporting you in your weakness. Embrace His generous gift of grace, that He would choose and cheer the least of these. Then watch as God's strength threads through your weakness and transforms you. Let your life become one of those inspirational success stories - stories of how God uses the weak, the unlikely, and the unexpected to accomplish great things through His power and for His glory. He's shouting your name!
"Come on!"
"We believe in you!"
The girls in the dorm room next door could probably hear all our cheering and yelling through the thin walls. As our eyes were glued to the TV one night this past week, my roommates and I rooted for our favorite Olympic athletes. I'm a pretty big fan of the Olympic Games, so I've been watching the Olympics non-stop ever since they began. The more I watch the events, the more I find myself celebrating and yelling with the audience. With this, I have discovered that I'm not necessarily a supporter of the USA as much as I am a fan of the underdogs. I don't wish harm on the athletes from my country, but I find myself cheering for the contestants who are unlikely to win, far behind, or small names in the sport.
Have you seen any of the Visa commercials during the Olympics? Most of the ones I have seen highlight a particular "underdog" and tell his or her inspirational story of unlikely success. For example, one commercial shows an Asian ice skating pair that attempted a challenging throw. The strong man threw the young lady into the air and she twirled beautifully over the ice only to fall in a horrible landing that looked very painful. The commercial goes on to narrarate how the couple didn't give up, but pressed on to win the silver medal, even when no one thought that was possible.
When I was watching the women's mogul competition, I learned that one skier had undergone somewhere around eight knee surgeries. She wasn't from the USA, but I just had to root for her! Anyone who has been through that deserves a medal! Or what about that female figure skater from Japan? In the biography they showed about her, they elaborated on how young she was and how much pressure was placed on her by her family and country. Of course I cheered for her! And when that seventeen-year-old skier began her race, I shouted for her all the way! One of my favorite events is the snowboard cross, and no matter how the race is going, I always root for the guy in last place.
As I was reflecting on my obsession with the Olympic Games and how I love the underdogs, I began to see something more. Just like I tend to root for the unlikely candidates, our awesome God cheers on the underdogs. He chooses the weak and He loves the losers. He supports the unlikely winners and shouts the names of those who seem to go unnoticed. He cheers with all His heart for you and for me! What great news! You may be in last place. You may be the weakest one. You may be falling or struggling. You may be the most unlikely candidate for love and grace, but God is cheering for you.
We don't deserve it, but He mercifully chooses us even when we are the most unlikely ones, the ones that should be picked last. Then, He generously believes in us and cheers us on even when we are least expected to win gold. That's just how unbelievably great His love is! Hear His voice shouting your name. Feel His love supporting you in your weakness. Embrace His generous gift of grace, that He would choose and cheer the least of these. Then watch as God's strength threads through your weakness and transforms you. Let your life become one of those inspirational success stories - stories of how God uses the weak, the unlikely, and the unexpected to accomplish great things through His power and for His glory. He's shouting your name!
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