An Upset

 Aleksandr Karelin is considered the most dominant Greco Style wrestler in history. He stood 6'3" tall. He weighed in at 286 pounds. He had freakish strength. He was nicknamed the "Russian Bear" and the "Experiment." The latter name because people believed he used performance enhancing drugs. He simply argued back that he trained like a mad man. 

He won multiple consecutive world championships gold medals. He won three successive Olympic gold medals. In one six year stretch, no opponent even scored a point on him. In one Olympic match, he defeated his opponent pinning him in only 14 seconds. When asked about his toughest opponent, he reported it to be his refrigerator. He single handled carried the 500 pound refrigerator up 8 flights of stairs. 

He cruised his way to winning his fourth straight Olympic gold medal. He faced an underdog American in the gold medal match. Ruland Gardner, a farm boy from Wyoming, shocked the world by defeating the Russian Bear. It is still considered one of the greatest upsets in history. 

Not greater than when a shepherd named David faced a giant named Goliath. David faced Goliath when more skilled warriors cowered in fear. Goliath towered at over 9' tall. David faced Goliath because Goliath insulted God. David took a stand when grown men and professional soldiers preferred to take a seat and spectate. Everybody knows that story. There is one phrase in that story that has always inspired me. That phrase is found in I Sam 17:48, "...David ran quickly to the battle."  He did not hesitate. He ran to meet his opponent. He ran to the challenge instead of fleeing from it. He ran to face his fears. 

What happened? We all know the end of that story. A miraculous upset. The giant fell. David's fame grew. The shepherd would eventually become king. It all started when he took those steps to sprint to face down Goliath. Here is the secret. David never relied on his own strength or skill. He relied on God to help him do something impossible. That is what we are supposed to do also when facing our giants.

God still does impossible things. He looks for people to run to the battle. We are exhorted in scripture repeatedly not to live in fear. The challenge is to live by faith and obey by faith. We will face some giants along the way. Giants bigger and more dominant than the Russian Bear. Will we flee in fear or run toward the risk? Upsets happen when we embrace the danger, overcome our fears, and fight the fight of faith trusting God with the results. All so that God is glorified.