WEEK 35 DEVO | Steph Curry and The Faith of a Mustard Seed

My favorite Steph Curry story comes from his very first college basketball game. We know Steph Curry as an NBA champion, an NBA MVP, and the best shooter of all time, but there was a time when Steph was known as an undersized, not-good-enough, underrecruited freshman who went to Davidson in part because no major program recruited him.

Steph started his first college game as a freshman for Davidson, but he had 9 turnovers in the first half, and they were down 18 points at half-time. His coach, Bob McKillop, said that he had to make a big decision at half-time. They were down big, and they had to decide whether or not they were going to keep the struggling freshman in the lineup. When they were recruiting Steph and watching him play in high school, they watched him play in a game in Las Vegas where he was awful. He kept turning the ball over, he was missing shots, he was getting beat defensively, but he never stopped playing, he never showed frustration, and he was never impacted by the demons of failure. Coach McKillop said to himself, "This is a young man who transcends time. He lives in the moment." 

At half-time, Coach McKillop said to his staff, "Remember Las Vegas," and they kept him in. Davidson ended up winning the game, and Coach McKillop said that was the beginning of Steph having confidence in himself at that level, and the beginning of their confidence in him. Steph bounced back and scored 32 points in the next game against Michigan, one of the best teams and programs in the country.

Steph said that by playing for a small school like Davidson, he was able to play his way through a lot of his mistakes and grow, but he had to work through all of it without losing confidence in himself. He said having a coach who believed in him was huge, but there was also the tough love, and he had to want to be and embrace being coached:

"I'm thankful because I wanted it so bad that I was cool accepting being coached. I knew I didn't know it all. I knew I had a lot to learn and had a lot of room to grow. But I was okay with getting coached no matter how tough it was and no matter how embarrassing it was, and I'm thankful that I accepted it early so that I could kind of go through those lumps and not lose confidence in myself. Having a coach who believes in you is one thing, and they are going to try to set you up for success, but you gotta walk into that, and you gotta make them look like they know what they are talking about - no matter how hard it is. Or, you can cower away from it, and give in to defeat and to what you can't do on the floor, or the failures that you have, and all that type of stuff. Be open to being coached because it is the only way you are going to get to your full potential, it is the only way you are going to get exposed to where you can look in at yourself in the mirror, and say, 'This is what I need to work on, and these are the strides that I can take to get to where I want to be,' and roll with that mindset."

Steph Curry was a late bloomer, and in a world where kids are starting to get ranked in the 1st and 2nd grades, he modeled how to move at your own pace. 

But he also models the importance of having faith throughout your journey. Steph said going to Davidson was not a power move to try to get himself in a position to make the NBA because only a few people from Davidson had made it to the NBA. It took a leap of faith from him to fully commit to it and to make the most of the opportunity.

In Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus was in the middle of teaching 6 different parables when he said:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."

A mustard seed is very small; it is only about 1-2 millimeters in size. But the seed can grow into a bush that is upwards of 20-30 feet tall and wide. Steph Curry was a small, overlooked high school basketball player, but he has completely changed the game of basketball with the way he plays. Now he is like a tree that the birds of the air (or people all over the world) can come and nest in its branches.

There are a lot of reasons to quit, to doubt yourself, and give in, but have faith in yourself and faith in God. God has great plans for us all. His plans are to prosper us, and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

His plans for us might not include being professional athletes (or they might), but if we abide in Him, pray constantly, and strive each and every day to do the right thing, to be good people, and bless and serve others, our joy may be made full (John 15:11), and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6).

THIS WEEK

1 - When people tell you, "Know, you are not good enough to play for me," what does that do to you and your motivation and confidence?

Steph Curry's dad said, "When people tell you, 'No, you aren't good enough to play for me,' any competitive person is going to remember that, and it's going to motivate them."

2 - What is the hardest part about people doubting you?
For me, it hurts my confidence sometimes. It's easier for me to work hard and try new things when people have confidence in me. It's harder for me to get out of my comfort zone when there is doubt around me.

3 - What can you do or what Bible verse can you lean on to find the confidence to keep going?
I will lean on some of the verses in this article. I will find even the smallest faith and hold on to that (Matthew 13:31), knowing that God has great plans for me (Jeremiah 29:11), and knowing that all things work for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

For a Google doc version of this devo, click here: Steph Curry and The Faith of a Mustard Seed