TAP OUT
If you are a fighter, then you love you some MMA. Locking a submission hold in on your opponent to the point of submission is the ultimate feeling for a warrior, while the one thing a warrior hates more than anything is tapping out.
What if I were to tell you, that the key to taking your fight to the highest level is learning to tap out in order to tap in.
One of my favorite movies of all time is ‘Here Comes the Boom’. An out of shape chubby barely motivated high school teacher accidentally agrees to save the school’s music teacher’s job by raising money for his salary. He decides the only way to do so is to start fighting MMA matches. Since both fighters get paid, all he has to do is tap out and lose enough matches to raise the money. However, while training and getting mauled over and over by his coach, he gets tired of tapping out. He asked his coach if he would help him learn to win, because losing was going to kill him.
This past weekend I felt God asked me if I was ever going to tap out. He asked me if I was finally ready to fully submit to Him. After a few early season tough road losses, midseason injuries costing us more losses, and an upset loss in the conference tournament, we lost the opportunity of hosting a regional in the NAIA National Tournament First Round. Around 85% of host teams win an advance to the Kansas City and the Final Site. So hosting the regional had been consuming me, but I finally tapped out and told God we will go wherever you want us to go to write your story not mine.
We found ourselves having to drive almost 8 hours all the way to Iowa to play two very good teams. We had worked so hard to overcome all the adversity to get to host. We had won 14 straight games, but on the end we came up one shot short of getting to host. Now we would have to go into a pit verses one of the best teams in the country. The odds were heavily stacked against us. It was in this pit, that we finally gave in and tapped out.
We finally agreed to give everything to God. We gave our fears, our frustrations, and we even gave our success. None of this was going to help us reach the Promised Land. We reminded ourselves that without Christ, we can do nothing of true value. If our true goal is to bring Jesus Glory by sharing the Gospel on the biggest stage possible, then we had to tap out and let God write our story.
Let me just share one short chapter in the amazing story God wrote this past weekend. With only four minutes left in our final game verses highly seeded Dordt, they hit a 3pt shot to take the lead and the packed gym goes insane. The pressure of the momentum facing us was incredible. I looked down at my bench and asked God who am I supposed to play? Who can handle this incredible pressure?
What if at that moment you felt God was telling you to put in a freshman who had not scored a single point in the entire game. He was not even on varsity until midseason. We had to move him to varsity due to injuries. He voluntarily gave up his redshirt season to help the team. He didn’t even play in his first game until January the 13th.
On paper it didn’t make any sense to put Ethan in. He is not known for his outside shooting in fact going into the game Ethan Williams was only 3 for 15 on the season from the 3pt line and he was averaging only 2 points per game. I didn’t have time to consider things, do I listen to that small voice or not.
“E get in the game”!
One of my nicknames for Ethan is actually “Church Camp”, because he was unable to work my basketball camp last summer due to his commitment to going to church camp. In my book that is far from a negative, because few players would skip basketball camp to go to church camp these days. I believe whole heartedly in Biblical principles. This is one of my favorites! When you sacrifice what is more important in the world’s eyes by choosing to spend time with God instead, our King will in turn lift you up in his perfect timing!
What are the odds that it just so happened to be Ethan William’s 19th Birthday? You guessed it. Behind by 1 point with 3:23 left in the game, the ball is swung to Ethan on the left wing. Without hesitation “Church Camp” launched a stone at the giant’s head! Down goes Goliath, Down goes Goliath, Down goes Goliath!
The rest is history! If I had a title for that chapter, it would be “From Church Camp to Young David”. Just one of the many miraculous chapters in the Story God is writing after we finally Tapped Out and submitted to giving our entire season to The Most High God! Yes, the Most High God’s for us!