It’s the biggest thing to come out of the sports world in recent days. Even if you have no interest in football, Leicester winning the Premier League is exactly the kind of improbable story that happens about once in a lifetime. In fact, we’re all Leicester fans now. With blue jerseys and all. Everyone loves a good story. Like when Arsenal won the league – remember that time ? No? Okay, moving on.

There’s so much to learn from this most unusual of victories. Obviously, most of these are made up ‘lessons’, since I have no idea what was going on in the Leicester dressing room. My suspicion is that they are just as shell-shocked as the rest of us. Having said that…

Don’t mind the odds
Those who statistically foretell these things had put Leicester’s chances of winning the league at 5000 to 1. In fact, they thought it was more likely (2500 to 1) for Piers Morgan to take a job as Arsenal coach! Well, they were proved wrong. Don’t get stuck where you are because the odds are seemingly stacked against you.

This is Biblical – Think David (the not particularly talented last born who was consigned to shepherding), Gideon (taking on a whole city with just 300 men whose only qualification was drinking water a certain way), Esther (choosing to take a stand for her people knowing she was wrong on the timing and from the wrong tribe) and many others.

There are tonnes of people everyday who are taking on life despite every odd – money, birth, circumstances, tribe, history – and making it. Because a man may throw a dice, but it is the Lord that determines how it falls.

Consistency pays
I found out that Leicester had the second-fewest starting line-up changes this season. That speaks of an impressive consistency. We all start excited and even wildly successful. In the end, what trips most of us is our inability to stay the course, especially as the seasons change.

Joseph had this down. In Potiphar’s house, he was soon in charge of the household, and in the face of pressure, stood firm by his principles. In the prison, his exemplary qualities drew the attention of the prison guard and he was quickly elevated. In Pharaoh’s presence, he easily fit into the role of his most trusted assistance. He stayed faithful to God, truly outstanding as life wound through different paths, most of them terribly uncomfortable.

Victory so often lies in just staying consistent, faithfully moving forward and upholding the standard, no matter where you find yourself.

‘How it’s normally done’ isn’t everything
Of course, the most intriguing aspect of Leicester’s rise to the top is how they have managed to leave the ‘big’ teams in the dust of their success. Most of us are so awed by ‘how it’s normally done’ that we often fail to see the possibilities in doing things a different way.

Can you imagine the conversation Gideon must have had with those among his men who had some military experience? They must have thought he was crazy. They must have told him stories of how battles had been won before, and how he was leading his men to their death. I suppose he calmly told them that God is not beholden to how it’s been done before. He has His ways, and we do well to not be intimidated by the status quo when He leads us down an uncharted path.

Dreams will propel you
I like this one. At some point, Leicester realized that there was a possibility they could win. And began to dream. Dreams have a way of propelling you to destiny.

I’m quite certain that Joseph never forgot the dream of greatness he had when he was just a lad. I suspect it carried him through some dark nights, knowing that he had ‘seen’ the end. Don’t allow yourself to stop dreaming. No matter how old you get or how much life changes, dreams will keep you moving towards the future, and save you from getting weighed down by the humdrum of daily living.

Hail Leicester.