Look Inward: Inspired by Steph Curry

I am an ardent follower of football (soccer), and I can say it is a passion shared by many that are from my part of the world. However, since I immigrated to North America three years ago, I have come to realize that my "football" is not a primetime sport here. Even the global name for the game has been hijacked by a game that makes less use of the feet. I still cannot comprehend why a game that is played by heavily padded men while wearing head protection and mostly using their hands is called American football. Can you help me with that puzzle?

Anyway, in a bit to find an identity with the sporting world in North America, I embraced basketball as a game I choose to follow in this clime. This choice was probably influenced by the fact that I could connect with the exploits of a Nigerian, Hakeem Olajuwon, while playing for the Houston Rockets in the eighties and nineties.

But this write-up is not about Hakeem; it is about a diminutive (did I say diminutive? yes on the court, when you look at people around him, he is, even though he is 1.91m tall) young man called Steph Curry. In a sport where height and reach play a significant role in performance, he has shone over the past two years to be named the NBA's Most Valuable Player two years in a row. In the process, he led his team to one championship while breaking many known records in NBA history at the personal and team levels.

As I watched him dropping shorts upon shots, maneuvering his way through heavily built guys trying to block his shorts, many thoughts rush through my mind. And one of these I want to share with you in this write up. These thoughts have inspired me; they could do the same for you if you can just take some time to read through them. Here we go.

Perhaps I should say this to you before you read further. It was the same scripture that the Ethiopian Eunuch was reading that Philip the Evangelist read. But the understanding differs, and the impact differs. I pray that the Lord will open your hearts and minds to access the treasure God has for you in his word, in Jesus' name.

Steph's performance on the court makes me understand and appreciate that what makes me me is inside of me, not outside. Stephanie rose above what people could see in him from his physical stature and revealed to the world what was unseen in him: his abilities. He probably discovered that if he continued to look at himself in comparison to the people in the basket-ball court with him, he had no chance. Thus, his choice was to look inside, and therein he brought out what makes him taller and bigger than anyone else on the court.

That reminds me of David in his encounter with Goliath. Every other person in the camp of Israel, including the anointed king Saul, saw in Goliath a killer, but David saw in him a prey. They all look at their physical strength, but David knew he was not there to flex his muscles, so there was no need to be bothered about his physical frailties. What makes him a warrior is not what is seen, but what is unseen. No wonder he removed the armour given to him by King Saul and decided to go with the armour enabled and energized by what was inside of him. What gave David glory after the battle was not his physical strength but what God had deposited in him. That is why the Bible says Christ in you is the hope of glory.

Everybody out there on the battlefield looked like a soldier except David. However, that does not make them a better soldier than him. Every one out here looked prepared for the battle except David, but he was actually much more prepared than them. This is because he didn't prepare himself; God prepared him. There is something God has prepared you for. What you can see on the outside may not tell you this story, but my prayer is that God will cause you to discover it. That Eureka moment in your life will not elude you, in Jesus' name.

David's conquest against Goliath inspired the Army of Israel to set the battle in array against the Philistines. Suddenly they discovered they were there to fight a war, not go sight-seeing. I cannot imagine how many lives Steph's extraordinary skills have inspired. Many who may have thought they could not achieve much in basketball because of their height would definitely have a rethink.

The second thing the performance of Steph thought me is that since what is inside of me is not revealed, I am a surprise package. Rather than my physical attributes being a limitation to me, it is rather a weapon. I am unpredictable and the enemy might not even know how to handle me.

My prayer is that none of us will run our life as an observer, but we will be actively engaged in bringing forth the gift of God upon our life's and show forth his glory in Jesus name. BE INSPIRED NOT PERSPIRE.