The Madness of March

Every year about this time, for three weeks or so, the world focuses on college basketball. The Men's NCAA tournament is one of those sporting events in the year that becomes the topic of water cooler conversation. Doubtless, based on the results from the first three full days of action, this year will be no exception.

Think about it. Celebrities come out of the woodwork to support their alma matters, the games dominate prime time Thursday through Sunday for two weekends, and even the President made picks.

Of course, the fun is always trying to guess which top seeds will hold serve and which will fall by the wayside. Already in the first few rounds we've seen surprises. Lousiville, a four-seed, lost on a final second shot to Moorhead State. Of course, Moorhead State is already out. Then there's Butler. Last year, the Bulldogs made it all the way to the title game. This year, they were supposed to fall in the first round to favored Old Dominion. Not only did Butler beat Old Dominion, they beat Pittsburgh (one of four No. 1 seeds) on Saturday to make it back to the round of 16. Now there's no telling how far they can go.

We are a nation that likes to root for the underdog and the upset. We like to see the unexpected. No sporting event captures that spirit quite like the NCAA tournament. Sure, it's more than likely that favorites Ohio State and Kansas will be playing for the title in two weeks, but it's always fun to see how they get there, and what surprise teams have their moment in the sun along the way.

In some ways, you could say the same thing about our faith. When you look at the heroes of the Bible — David, Moses, Elijah, Abraham, Paul, Peter — you see a lot of underdogs making the most of the opportunities God put in their path. Many of us feel limited by our skills, our position, and our means. We wonder, how could I possibly do big things for God? Fortunately we serve a God of under dogs; a God for whom nothing is impossible.

That is a pretty awesome thought.