I remember the first day of full contact scrimmage [practicing with full football pads and real tackling] during hell week as a sophomore in high school. I lined up against the seniors and at the snap of the ball, I found myself about 10 yards backwards, staring at the back of a senior as he walked away laughing. 
I was so upset… 
and embarrassed 
. As it turns out, the seniors were gunning for me 
. They had heard that I was this hot shot kid 
from junior high and they wanted to instill some fear in me. In reality, I was a sheltered shy kid, not knowing what to do with myself, who had grown faster than the others. 
I was intimidated 
. These guys had beat every team the year before and brought home the state title. They were grown men who demanded respect. Me on the other hand, my voice had only recently stopped cracking 
.
The senior who laughed at me [I’ll call him Big Red to protect his identity] was a red haired monster, growing hair from every part of his body except his eye balls . How scary is that? He had started every game since his sophomore year… and… he laughed or grinned at me whenever we were eye to eye that whole practice .
You know, even a shy kid can only take so much . I made a determination that night that changed the way I played football [and sports] the rest of my career.
If you know football, tackling is key. So we practice tackling. We line up on opposite sides, run at each other and “explosion”. Yup, the most intellectual experience of my life . I loved every second of it. Anyways, after that first shameful day, I made sure I was on the opposite side of Big Red; I made sure I was lined up to tackle Big Red every single time. I didn’t care if he ripped my shoulder clean off. I didn’t care if he broke my collar bone or knocked me out cold. I went all out without regrets. 
Do or die.
Damn. I still remember the pain shooting through my shoulder as if it just happened. My shoulder went numb the rest of the day, but for some crazy reason, I made sure to always line up against Big Red; I was scared every time but I could not let up. It would always be the same thing… “explosion” “pain” and then “numbness”.
One fateful day during the second week of full contact practices [before the season started], I was again lined up with Big Red; there were 2 more guys ahead of us and then it would be “collision” time with Big Red. I made sure to stare into his eyes every time… and that day, he avoided my eyes and traded spots with the guy behind him. Unbelievable. I was in total disbelief at what had just happened. Strangely, I also felt bad for him.
I hit some other senior and plowed right through him… and Big Red, well, he never lined up with me again. I got my varsity letter that year as a sophomore… something I guess I am proud of since it’s rare 
. I was still naive and shy for most of my years in high school… but I could smack the “heck” out of anyone on the football field… and that’s where I placed my identity for a long time… along with music.
I wish I could go back sometimes and tell myself that my identity wasn’t football or music, but Christ. I am grateful and amazed that I am His. Everyday is a reminder that we belong to Him and no one, not even Big Red, should be able to intimidate us or instill fear in us.
I’m not sure why I’m reminiscing about that time… maybe it’s because I overcame a “Big Red” mountain of fear then and I have another big obstacle to overcome now… or maybe I feel like the enemy has knocked me back 10 yards and is walking away laughing, trying to intimidate me. Part of me is still the overgrown shy kid who didn’t know what to do with himself; my obstacle isn’t red anymore, but it’s big… only Christ is bigger 
Pray for me, brothers and sisters and let me know how I can pray for you.
Proverbs 27:17
“As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend”
God is good
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