March Madness

Over the next several weekends American society will turn from it's daily rituals and pause. We will sit on the edge of our seats with bated breath. Some will have their dreams crushed while others will celebrate with joy. All will watch the TV for the next moment. Will a giant fall? Will the underdog prevail? Will my bracket survive this?

That's right, it's March Madness and as the NCAA basketball championship gets underway, I have made my picks and I am excited, once again about watching some basketball. My favorite thing to do is cheer for the underdog. I love watching a smaller, relatively unknown team topple a perennial powerhouse. I'll be the one rooting for Siena, Cornell, Richmond and New Mexico State, as opposed to Kansas, Kentucky or Syracuse.

I think there something within us all that relates to the underdog. We all know what it's like to go unnoticed. We have felt the pain of under-appreciation. We know how it feels to be counted out before we even start a task. So when a David gets to take on a Goliath, we cheer for David. We pull for the little guy, because in a lot of ways, we are the little guy.

Over the next few weeks, enjoy the basketball. Root for your team. But do not neglect the observance of the day when God made all the underdogs matter. The day the unnoticed got recognized, the under-appreciated received a nod of acceptance and the counted out were invited in. Easter is the day before the championship game. Easter is the day the ultimate victory was won. When Christ arose, it gave every underdog a chance to be victorious in the only thing that really matters: life!

So when I sit down to watch the championship game this year, I will probably be cheering for the team least likely to win. But I will rest assured that no matter the outcome of the game, my victory is secure, and this underdog celebrates that win every day!