The Greatest Giant Is Jesus

My GON blog is called “On the Shoulders of Giants.” I try to live my life giving thanks to the men and women who have become “giants” in my life, those who live by example, lift me up and motivate me to be a better person. Some are living; some are not. Some I have met; some I have not. Some are old; some are not.

This moment of realization happened when I was in my 20s. Three years after graduating from vet school and working back home at the clinic that molded me, one of my mentors, Dr. Odom, asked me a powerful question on my last day of work before moving away.

“You know why you are tall?”

The question came as a surprise. I looked up from my spay surgery at Dr. Odom who had just walked into the operating room.

I tried to find any signs of joking but instead saw a rather serious expression on Dr. Odom’s face.

“I mean, I have some height in my family,” I responded. “My grandfather was over 6 feet and my….”

“No, no, no,” he interrupted. “I’m not talking about physically.”

Thinking for a moment, I responded, “I guess I’m not sure what you are talking about.”

“You ever wonder how you got here today, standing where you are now, doing surgery as a licensed veterinarian? Have you ever stopped to wonder?” he asked in an atypically matter-of-fact tone.

“Truthfully, not really,” I responded with the naivety of youth.

He gazed around the room and quietly said, “You didn’t do this alone. All it takes is for you to look down, and you will realize that others are lifting you up.”

I stood in silence, reflecting on all the people who had supported me in my life.

Dr. Odom cleared his throat and pointed a finger at me. “The reason you’re tall…” he paused to clear his throat again, “is because you stand on the shoulders of giants.”

I swallowed hard. Suddenly, it occurred to me. I was staring at one of my giants.

Dr. Odom quickly turned away and hurried out of the room with a glint of tears in his eyes.

I was forever changed. From that moment on, I began to give thanks to all my giants in my life, and GON has given me many (several of whom I have written about). I know our GON community is full of them… I say that often, and people may get tired of my redundancy, but it’s true and important to understand. We are blessed with such a supportive and outstanding group of outdoorsmen and women.

I think the diversity of my giants is fascinating. I’m intrigued by how each one offers me something unique. But no matter how different my giants may be, there is a common core among them all. They are held together by Jesus Christ. In fact, my giants are tall because they, too, stand on shoulders, with Jesus’ shoulders being the foundation of them all.

As much as I admire the human traits of my giants, what I am especially awed by, I realize now, is the love of Christ in their lives. These giants have let the Holy Spirit into their hearts. Nothing in life matters more than our relationship with our Savior. As the late pastor Adrian Rogers once said, “The most foolish thing you can do is fail to plan for eternity.”

My dream one day is for someone out there to think of me as a giant, but I mean this as non-arrogantly as I can. Because if you think I look tall, just glance down at me feet. Then you will see all the shoulders I am standing on…. and the sturdiest shoulders of all belong to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He’s the greatest Giant to ever live.

On The Shoulders Of Giants With Andrew Curtis

Andrew graduated from UGA in 2006 with his undergraduate degree in Animal Health and from UGA’s veterinary school in 2010. His passion for fishing and the outdoors began when he was a young boy spending time with his grandfather at Lake Oconee. Now he enjoys passing on what he has learned to his two young boys at their home on the Alapaha River. Turkey hunting and south Georgia river fishing are among his favorite pastimes, but his main interests involve mentoring kids in the outdoors while spreading the Word of Jesus. Andrew has discovered the joy and power in writing and hopes to benefit others through his words.