Facing the Giants

Most of you would have never heard of this movie. First, because it’s Christian; second, because it never made it to any cinema I know of. It’s not a blockbuster, and it doesn’t have the best actors but it does have moments that will almost bring you to tears.

Grant Taylor is a high school football coach. He has coached at Shiloh Christian School for six years and has never really succeeded. His Eagles team’s star players leave continuously for better opportunities in other schools. His job is in jeopardy. In addition, he and his wife discover they can’t have children. He has a beat-up car that doesn’t get him from A to B. You could say he has many “giants” to overcome in his life.

He is a devout Christian but he feels his struggles can’t get any worse. He spends sleepless nights reading his Bible and crying out to God for answers.

Does this sound familiar? At least in some ways?

Mr Bridges is the school chaplain. Every day, he prays for the students but on this day, he feels impressed to talk to Grant. The conversation will turn Grant’s world around, not to mention the football team.

After quoting Revelation 3, Mr Bridges tells a story of “two farmers who desperately needed rain. Both of them prayed for rain but only one of them went out and prepared his fields to receive it. Which one do you think trusted God to send the rain?

God will send the rain when He is ready. You need to prepare your field to receive it.”

After much prayer and soul searching, Grant decides to change the philosophy of his football team. Instead of playing just to win games, they are playing for something far greater.

“Winning football games is too small a thing to live for,” he tells his squad. “Jesus said the most important thing that you could do with your life is to love God with everything you are and to love others as yourself. So, if we win every game and we miss that, we’ve done nothing! We need to give Him our best in every area. And if we win, we praise Him. And if we lose, we praise Him.

Either way, we honour Him with our actions and our attitudes.”

Isn’t that a philosophy worth applying to life in general? Grant’s wife thought so. A philosophy focused on God can transform lives, open doors and even, as the Bible put its, move mountains (see Matthew 17:20).

Sometimes, all it takes to overcome the giants in our lives is to take the focus off us. Instead, focus on God, letting Him do what He needs to do. It sounds simple but at times, this can be the hardest thing to do.

We can do the impossible. No, wait. God can do the impossible through us. All we have to do is let Him.

Facing the Giants is available on DVD from Christian bookshops.