This past week I had time to watch one of my all-time favorite movies again–Facing the Giants by Sherwood Pictures. I absolutely LOVE this movie, and I totally cannot STAND football. How in the world could I like this movie so much when the main character is a football coach?
Well, you see, it’s because, although the movie USES football, the movie is not ABOUT football. This movie has so many incredible truths woven into every part of it, it blows me away anew every time I see it. And I always have to cry while watching it, no matter how many times I’ve seen it, and even though I know what’s going to happen…there is power in this movie. Because GOD is totally in it.
The joy of watching a movie or reading a book more than once is that, each time you see it, you are at a different point in life, and different things are going to stand out to you, depending on where you are in your walk with God, and what He has been doing in your life. I have seen this movie 3-4 times now, and each time, I come away chewing on something different. The first time I saw it, I was in college. 2 months away from finishing. And the main thing that I remembered walking away that night was,
“Give it your best. Leave everything on the field. Do your best and leave the rest up to God.” The second time I saw this movie, I was watching it on my laptop one day. And the truth that leaped out at me was ‘surrender’. Just surrender. I watched the extra features on the DVD, and the movie became so much closer to my heart as I realized that the football coach’s wife, who, in the movie, had to surrender her will to have children to God, in real life, her dream was to do cinema for God. And she had to surrender that dream. And now, now look at her, the second main character on an incredible Christian movie! I was blown away!! The third time I saw this movie, I was watching it with my siblings after borrowing the DVD from a friend. And this time what really stood out to me was the amazing way God works through all the details. His timing is perfect.
But when I watched this movie last week for the fourth time, the main theme of the movie itself was the truth that spoke to my desperate, searching heart. ‘Facing the Giants’. Face your giants. Face MY giants.
What am I afraid of? What am I running from? What are my giants? The NARHA certification test. Not being able to see. Surgery, the hospital. Photography, and being good. I have got to do as Grant Taylor did and GIVE God everything! If God never lets me see again, will I still love Him? If God doesn’t let me pass the test, will I still love Him? If God takes away everything I love and never lets me find my dreams, will I still love Him? I WILL still love Him!
I have got to stop running away from and hiding from what I am afraid of, and start giving it to God. I need to prepare my fields for rain. Instead of being afraid of failing the NARHA test, I first have to give it to God and totally let go and surrender. After that, I have got to give it my best–study my heart out about horses, get out there and ride till I have no muscles or energy left in me. Instead of being afraid that I will never see again, I have got to give it to God, then do my best to take care of my eyes. Instead of being afraid that I will never be a good photographer, I have to surrender my dreams to God, then get out there and learn and practice as much as I possibly can. Instead of being afraid that I will lose everything, every one, and every animal I love, I have to surrender them to His hands, then invest into them and enjoy them as much as I possibly can.
I have been running away too long. I am scardy cat of way too much. I don’t want to run. If David can kill Goliath with a stone, if David Childers, a back-up football kicker, can kick a 51 yard field goal, I can face what I am afraid of, too.
“There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out all fear”
Off to battle my giants! 
this a an awesome story i never saw the movie but i will over the weekend!