You're My Boy, Blue!!!
This might seem more like a testimony than a devotional, but I always feel compelled to share it whenever I encounter the "Hall of Faith" of Hebrews 11.
In 2002, I seized the opportunity to take my talents to Cameroon and represent Athletes in Action's Volleyball team on a mission trip where I quickly realized how puny my talents were comparatively, and also how short I was. My high school and club volleyball career consisted of being a pretty strong outside hitter, and my shorter teammates did the "short player things". So my humbling experience with AIA started with realizing that the 2 short guys were 5'10" (me) and a 6'2" guy. My other teammates were on average 6'5", and tallest teammate standing at 6'10". Simply put, I felt out of place.
Now I wish I could say that my trip to Cameroon resulted in the 5'10" Filipino with zero college volleyball experience being the big star who took on giants. Instead, I was too short to even be in the front row, and played the "libero" position which is typically a "short player thing". Asking me to play Libero is legitimately like asking Shaq to be a designated Free Throw Shooter. Yes, I'm that bad a passing which is what liberos should excel at. Fortunately, God used AIA to speak specifically to me about Hebrews 11:6.
"6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
AIA drilled that verse into me and it has stuck with me since. We hope that God is pleased with our efforts. We hope that God will one day tell us, "Well done good and faithful servant." How often do we try to please God solely by our own talents and efforts? I met my AIA team with a big head, thinking, "I'm gonna play for Jesus because I'm such a good volleyball player". First, I was humbled by my own teammates' size and talent. Then I faced many extremely talented players from the Cameroonian national team. I have never been scared of being hit in the face with a volleyball until then.
Fortunately, I never got hit in the face, but I was hit with some humble pie. This was our third match of our trip and was by far the biggest crowd we'd seen. As a libero I had a blue jersey and my teammates all had red jerseys. The Cameroonian team served me the ball and quickly realized the guy in blue was not a very good passer. They served the ball directly at me over and over again. The ball would hit my arms and would bounce out of anyone's reach repeatedly. The crowd loved it. I stood in the middle of the court waiting for the next serve as the crowd shouted, "BLUE! BLUE! BLUE! BLUE!" Here comes another serve, and once again I can't control it, AND THE CROWD GOES WILD! AHHHHHHH!!! BLUE BLUE BLUE BLUE!
As embarrassing as it was I had peace about it, because AIA trained me for a moment such as this. (They also prepped me for moments of triumph, but that didn’t apply here.)
Before heading to Cameroon, my coaches taught us 4 principles to apply to Volleyball as well as life
- Be Motivated by Christ's Love (2 Cor 5:14)
- Depend on the Holy Spirit (Galatian 5:16)
- Trials and tribulations come often, and to consider it joy (James 1:2-3)
4. Faith is required to please God (Hebrews 11:6)
That game really sucked… It really was not fun, but these 4 principles kept my head up. It kept me playing with a joyful heart. And I had faith that my efforts were pleasing to God. It was also pleasing to the fans! I got to meet many locals, several kids, and opposing players were just kind. I was able to present the Gospel to some of them too. Had faith not been emphasized, I probably would've been super frustrated and wanting to run straight to the bus. Instead, I think God was pleased, and I hope I can bring that same kind of Faith to my daily life, and for God's Kingdom.
Pray: God, forgive us for not always believing. Sometimes we get caught up with what's tangible, and what's right in front of us. Even when we serve you, sometimes it is without faith. You can still be glorified, but you will not be pleased directly from our offerings. Help us to be faithful always, and know that you are only pleased with us when we are faithful.
Amen
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