by Dale Reeves
Story Pastor
Every year I look forward to four days in March when nonstop college basketball is at the forefront of our TV. I love the Madness of the NCAA National Basketball Tournament. I love the upsets. I pull for the underdogs—unless they bust my bracket! I love the Cinderella stories. I love the commercials featuring Charles Barkley, Samuel Jackson, Jim Nantz, and others. And, I love the redemptive stories we hear of players and coaches that shouldn’t be there.
Just the other day I read the story of Shakeel Moore, a senior guard for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Their first-round game this year was played Thursday vs. Michigan State in Charlotte, North Carolina. Moore grew up in Greensboro, about an hour north of Charlotte. He lived in a single-parent household with his mother, Meshia Vincent, who took care of Moore and his three brothers, two that are older, and a younger brother who still lives at home because he is on the autism spectrum. With no father figure in the home, on two separate occasions during Moore’s middle-school years, the family was homeless, bouncing from hotel rooms to friends’ houses, just trying to get by. Moore could have let those circumstances succumb him to a lifelong struggle, but he chose to rise above them.
Reflecting on those years, Shakeel comments, “I had a circle that supported me when I was going through it. I had a strong core behind me that helped me navigate my struggle.”
His mother, Meshia, reflects:
“I could tell he was making good decisions. I just told him to keep going. I would always tell him, ‘Everything is going to get better, and your circumstances will not define you!’”
The adversity that Moore has gone through in life prepared him for what he’s been through on the basketball court. Just one year ago, he took the final shot in a “First Four” game against Pittsburgh in Dayton, Ohio. With a chance to send the Bulldogs into the First Round of the 2023 tournament, Moore’s three-point shot at the buzzer was off target, and they lost to Pitt 60-59. This year he has a chance for redemption. As his mother always told him, Shakeel hasn’t let that moment define him. Leading into Thursday’s game Moore has had one of his best seasons in his college career—shooting a career high 47% from the field, 36% behind the three-point line, while scoring eight points per game. He’s filled in every role Mississippi State has needed him to, whether he started a game, or came off the bench. Being back near his hometown this week, Moore concluded, “To be back here now is just fuel to my fire to do more.”
You’ve Got the Wrong Person
Have you ever felt like the adversity you’ve faced in life (whether it was from your own doing, or because of the cards you were dealt) has defined you? Have you ever felt like you’ve blown it, and you’ll never get another chance? Have you ever felt inadequate to accomplish whatever task was placed before you? If so, that’s good, join the club. The Bible is filled with stories of people God called to do great things for him who asked, “Me? Surely, you’ve got the wrong person!” We think of Moses, and Joshua, and Gideon, and David, Mary the mother of Jesus, and so many others.
This past Sunday, our senior minister at Christ’s Church, Brad Wilson, continued in our teaching series called “Overcomer.” One of the things we all must overcome in order to be used of God the way he wants to use us as difference makers is that we have to confront whatever feelings of inadequacy we may have. In case you missed that teaching, you can check it out here. You ever feel inadequate? That’s good news, that means that God can use you, and it means that when he uses you, you’ll know that you accomplished something amazing not because of who you are—but because of who he is!
What’s Holding You Back?
This whole month people in our church have been answering a question on a large board in our lobby. The question is: “What is holding you back?” This past week I scoured the board to see what kinds of things our folks were feeling. A number of the responses concern feelings of inadequacy. Here are some of the comments I read there . . .
“I need to stop limiting God from what he can do because of my lack of faith and vision”
“Self-doubt and feeling like I’m not enough”
“Negative self-talk”
“Feelings of defeat and being totally overwhelmed”
“Perfectionism”
“The doubt that God will pull me through”
“The fear of not being wanted, which causes me to be afraid to be the true me”
“Feelings of anxiety and not being good enough for my family”
“Help me overcome my sins of the past”
“Shame, guilt, and past trauma”
“Past parenting mistakes”
“Help me to overcome myself”
We as a church staff have been reading all those responses, and we have been praying over them. Our prayer is that God will help you overcome the battles you are going through, and through them show you your purpose and relevance in others’ lives. You matter. You have a purpose for living. You can be an overcomer because Jesus said this:
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NLT).
It’s not all about us and our abilities, but about the power of God within us.
“God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
“Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!” (Ephesians 3:20, 21, The Message).