I love this time of year when the season known as March Madness descends on all those who love college basketball (or just good competitive sports in general).

It’s the time when people fill out brackets of who they think will win each and every one of the 67 games all the way up to the national championship game. Mostly, it’s just for fun and mostly it’s akin to throwing darts at a dartboard while blindfolded.

This time around, I filled in 11 brackets, hoping that maybe one might actually win me something– if nothing more than a good sense of pride in finally having a decently picked bracket.

This is also the time of year when at least one team will come out of nowhere to pull off the monumental upset that will wreck just about everybody’s brackets.

Last year, it was Middle Tennessee shocking Michigan State and rendering a lot of brackets as birdcage liner or recycle bin filler.

Four years ago, Florida Gulf Coast knocked off Georgetown and managed to break into the Sweet Sixteen before being unceremoniously ousted by Florida.

A lot of us know what it’s like to be the underdog. Many feel like outsiders and outcasts in a world where image and style are everything.

Yet in God’s economy, those are the ones He picks to advance His kingdom on this planet. Those very underdogs are the ones He calls more than conquerors through Christ.

So far, every one of those NCAA Cinderella teams eventually get kicked out of the ball and end up going home short of being champions. Just about every time, it’s one of the power programs who ends up winning it all.

With God, it’s a different story. It’s the last who are first and those outcasts who end up with the victory. It’s the nobodies who are the ones God calls His beloved.

So far, my brackets are still in the running, for the most part. I still have an outside shot of ending up with a respectable outcome. If I win any money or fame, I promise to remain the same humble blog post writer as always.