Christian Comment with Clive Oscar-Lewis

The Underdog

IF YOU are ever described as the underdog you would assume the odds are stacked against you.

That doesn’t always have to be the case.

There is a fascinating story in the bible about two people.

One was called David, the other, Goliath.

Goliath was huge.

Standing at nearly seven feet and heavily laden with armour, he came face to face with a shepherd boy, David.

What happened next is well known and a story many of us heard in our childhood.

David put a stone in his sling, aimed and fired it at the gap in Goliaths armour.

The gap was in the middle of Goliaths forehead.

The shot was spot on.

David followed up with more severe brutal action.

This fight was won by an underdog who was not expected to win at all.

You might be considered an underdog because of your ethnicity, gender, height, weight, aesthetics, family background or other insignificant factor.

The fact is that it doesn’t have to be that way.

Giants aren’t always as they appear.

The aspects they possess we believe that contributes to their strength can also be a source of weakness.

Being an underdog can put one in a position of strength as expectations can be low.

David’s nimbleness serves as a great advantage against Goliath’s brawn and considerable frame.

Onlookers would have thought that David’s size would have been a severe disadvantage.

Power however can come in a whole range of forms such as speed over strength.

There was another issue which was Goliaths confidence that no one would be able to overpower him, became his Achilles heal.

Let’s come back to the present day.

In life one might have to work incredibly hard to make success of the deck of cards that have been dealt.

In business, it is well known that developments in technology such as the world wide web has helped to level the playing field.

This means that a small business can compete with much larger organisation despite only having a fraction of the financial resources.

A high dose of resilience is also required if you are considered an underdog who wants to achieve something of value.

A question is that, similar to the gap in Goliaths forehead, where is the opportunity for you to capitalise on?

A mindset shift could be what is required in order to look at the future or an immediate challenge differently.

At a basic level, this could mean thinking in a positive way rather than a negative one.

A well know Proverb includes the words ‘You are what you think’.

So, now would be a good time to reflect on how you might be seen as the underdog and begin planning your strategy to overthrow the giant that you are up against.