by Joanie Butman
There is a 2004 Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller movie called Dodgeball that my family loves. It revolves around a barebones gym called Average Joe’s - no fancy workout clothes, chichi juice bar, or Zen meditation classes. Think Equinox versus Planet Fitness. Whatever Average Joe’s lacks in sophistication is balanced by their dedication and loyalty to each other.
The movie follows this ragtag group of average/mediocre athletes as they enter a dodgeball tournament in order to save their cherished local gym from the onslaught of a corporate health fitness chain.* Undaunted, Average Joe’s bravely faces its nemesis, Globo Gym, who arrive with polished uniforms and six-pack abs. The odds were against them for sure.
Doesn’t life feel like an endless game of dodgeball with missiles coming at you from every angle?There are plenty of days when we feel like underdogs with the odds stacked against us. Life can be exhausting, bobbing and weaving to avoid the barrage of life’s projectiles. It’s tempting to feel intimidated by spiritual giants who seem to have it all together with a direct line to the Divine. They may have developed a spiritual hotline, and kudos to them, but that won’t protect them from life’s battery of misfortunes. We’re all brought to our knees eventually – which is exactly where Christ wants us, relying on His power rather than our own. That doesn’t mean He fixes all our problems, but He certainly changes how we perceive and face them – together.
Christian fellowship is similar to the loyalty and dedication of the Average Joe’s team. We are stronger together and build off of each other’s strengths, taking turns holding each other up. It’s a beautiful thing.
In the spiritual arena there is only one winning team to choose: Christ’s. When we rely on Jesus, we can withstand our fiercest opponents with confidence because His power is made perfect in our weakness. Take heart in that Jesus was an underdog too, but we all know that contrary to appearances, He won in the end – as we will when we choose Him as our Captain.
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodgeball:_A_True_Underdog_Story