My new favorite movie
I re-watched this fantastic movie this weekend - one that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It’s called “Facing the Giants” and was actually produced and filmed by a church down south. The story is about a down-and-out high school football coach who brings his team to success and strong character through giving up his own desires and submitting his will to God. There are a number of heart-tugging scenes, but if you don’t cry when you see his infertile wife face another failed pregnancy test, and then say, “I will praise you in this, God,” well, I think you’re missing something.
It pains me when I see people call themselves Christians and then fear to give up their own will and desires to God. I am not a great example, but I do know that at times when I have given up what I wanted and went along with God’s plan, there have been moments of transcendent beauty and a ripple effect of goodness in the world around me.
Another amazing scene is when the coach challenges the team leader to push himself beyond anything he thought he was capable of - while blindfolded. The boy clearly had a definition in his mind of his upper limits of strength, and by being blindfolded, he didn’t know that he passed all his pre-determined limits.
This reminds me of one of the most triumphant moments in my life. In high school I was on our track team, and I was a mid-distance runner for a very small school. At one track meet, my coach ran up to me and said that all the long distance runners had completed the maximum number of events and she needed me to run the two-mile race. I panicked. I had run this in practice but never in competition, and she knew this. She said, “You don’t need to place. You don’t even need to finish. You just need to start.” Without a starter, we’d be disqualified.
As we started running, I kept thinking about her words and we both knew I couldn’t finish the race. I decided that as soon as I tired I would quit. All you had to do is run off the track to center field and stop. I could really ham it up and fling myself on the ground, clutching my stomach and gasping for air, so they’d all know how hard I tried.
But I kept running. After I had passed the longest distance I usually ran, I started to wear out. I kept promising myself that as soon as I rounded the far corner I’d stop. Then that length would come and go and I kept going. I still didn’t expect I’d finish, but I just wanted to get a little farther. Just one more, I kept telling myself. One more length. And then another. Sweat was pouring down into my eyes and my lungs felt ready to self-combust, but I kept going. Then I had only two lengths to go, and then one. Then I finished!
Nobody can take that triumph away from me. Even as a silly teenager, I was able to take something victorious and life-supporting from that day. Even when I think I will never make it, there’s still a little bit left in me. All things are possible, if I keep going and don’t give up. Nobody has seen the best I can do, yet.
Published by angelawd on September 18th, 2007 tagged Daily Christianity
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