U-GAME CHANGERS
[4-minute read]
When we think of game changers today, we think of disruptive technologies that rewrite business rules, and people who defy expectations of success. No doubt familiar scenarios and names will quickly come to our minds. However, the Bible records several game changers whose names do not easily appear in our recall, the unknown, the uncelebrated, and some are not even named.
Game changers are ordinary people who step into situations (that will happen with or without them) and act in ways that effectively rescript scenarios and revise outcomes.
Exodus 1:15-21 mentioned two midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, who defied the king’s order and spared precious lives of several newborn baby boys. Then, there is Onesiphorus whom the apostle Paul spoke effusively about in 2 Timothy 1:16-18. What about the nameless boy who followed Jesus, prepared with a kids’ size box of “five small barley loaves and two small fish” but gave them up to feed a multitude (John 6:7-9). And of course, we all know about Queen Esther who intervened to stop the powerful Haman who planned to annihilate all Jews.
RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME
The two midwives blocked a planned infanticide and saved lives.
Onesiphorus did not avert death but brought consistent comfort and support to Paul; thus writing himself into Paul’s ministry.
The little boy who gave up his lunchbox did not avert starvation but was instrumental to the miraculous feeding of more than five thousand attendees.
What was common among them was not their abilities, appearance, or connections but they were in the right place at the right time and they all did what they felt was fitting in their situations without making any excuses for exit or exemption. Indeed, James 4:17 tells us not to shrink back from the responsibility of doing whatever good we can do in every situation because that would be sin. The Bible says nothing about prioritisation of our attention in favour of spouses, families, people in the same church and faith. “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
Game changers recognise it when God positions them in the right place at the right time. At the same time, they also accept that God’s setups often take them into uncharted paths with no previous experience for them to draw on. There will be headwinds, pushbacks and conflicts that challenge our current tolerance and ability to thrive, but they are also the conditions that set us up for spiritual and character growth.
Imagine a different scenario: the midwives could have fled and let other midwives carry out the king’s mandate. Onesiphorus could distance himself from the conflicts and controversies that Paul was often associated with, and just stick around ‘safe friends’ who are much less inclined to shake things up. The little boy could have withheld his lunch – the kid-sized meal was too ‘small’ compared to adult-sized portions.
Pointedly, the right people are usually the low-profile ones among us who don’t need to brand themselves as this or that. They don't need inspirational names for their initiatives, large followings, or the endorsement or sponsorship of well-known institutions to create impact where it matters and in ways that matter.
GOD-FEARING, TRUSTWORTHY
We often default to the thinking that there are always better options besides our involvement in any situation or relationship. Without us, God will involve some other people. We are quick to dismiss ourselves as the friend who matters to someone. (We’re not that close… anymore). We downplay our readiness to be of help because our resources of time and talent are not readily deployable. (We need to set boundaries… all of a sudden). We launch personal attacks on ‘difficult’ people we have to work with, calling anything that stretches us ‘spiritual attacks’.
Contrastingly, the midwives action showed that they feared God more than they feared the king or the threat of execution. Onesiphorous found that with Paul, he had to be the friend who showed up and not be embarassed by being seen or associated with his controversial friend. To be certain, it was not a convenient friendship commitment because many also deserted Paul (2 Timothy 1:15, 4:10, 4:16). From the little boy, we learn that generosity is not measured by quantity but a reflection of the quality of our character.
In all, they showed one character quality: consistency and selflessness.
SELFLESS, GENEROUS
Colossians 4:15 relates the account of a woman called Nympha who generously allowed the church to gather at her home. We could argue that she was a person of means beyond most people, but it was not about having a gilded home in prime real estate, but a selfless extension of private facilities to community access that would also invite scrutiny and involve greater maintenance than if it was kept for private use only.
Selflessness is not about downplaying ourselves or our involvement in any situation (out of false humility or misguided perception) but having the right situational assessment and an understanding of the need of the hour. It is also about timeliness – showing up when and where it matters most and not simply extending tokenistic expressions of concern.
The two midwives were selfless because all it took was for some whistleblowers to upend their undercover mission to save male newborns. The boy who gave up his lunch didn’t think too much about going hungry either.
Today, you can become God’s U-Game Changer if you learn what it means to be in the right place at the right time, be God-fearing and trusthworthy, and act in selflessness and generosity for impactful living.
This is a summary and reflection based on a virtual BIR Session held on 18 April 2026.
