The Sparring Partner

A few months ago I was watching a short documentary about a boxer and his struggles in trying to pursue his dream of becoming a champion.

The film followed him throughout his daily routine for about a month, showing everything he did from waking up and having breakfast to relaxing in a hot tub right before bed.

My favorite part was when he was in the gym working out each day. I was amazed at how much the human body can be put through and come out even stronger in the end.

He had a vigorous routine of cardio, weightlifting, and even yoga to help with balance and finding his center (something I'm sure came in handy after each hard lick he took to the face).

Even with all of that, it wasn't enough for him to become who he needed to be. He still needed a real person with whom he could practice to get the feeling of being in a real fight.

The coach/trainer brought in a man about the same height and weight as the boxer and introduced him as "Buck", his new sparring partner. They chit-chatted and then got underway with their business of "boxing".

It was interesting to watch as the boxer bounced around the ring ducking jabs and throwing his own punches right back. That went on for another twenty minutes and the trainer called a break. The boxer sat down, had some water and talked to his "boys" on the side of the ring. The camera captured his conversation with a friend in which he was saying he felt he had the fight in the bag, speaking of the big event that was to take place in a month. The guys he spoke with were laughing and encouraging him while he grinned. He said he felt confident that he would emerge the winner of it all.

I watched in the background as the trainer spoke with the sparring partner and smiled. He patted him on the back as he walked toward the center of the ring to engage the boxer again in some practice punches.

This time, it seemed as if Buck, the sparring partner, was out for blood. He acted as if the boxer had made him mad and he was out to get him. I continued to watch the boxer with his fancy footwork, dodging the blows one by one and landing a couple himself on his opponent.

The last punch he threw caught Buck in the chin, forcing his head upward, thereby causing him to stumble for a second. Then I witnessed the boxer's fatal mistake. Pride flooded his face as he turned to look at his friends and smile. Buck saw an opportunity to land a hard blow to the boxer and he quickly came in with a left hook so hard it knocked the boxer off his feet.

The guys that had been prodding him a couple of minutes earlier were now laughing at him, along with Buck and the trainer. The boxer was livid as he managed to get to his feet. He took off his gloves, threw them on the floor and began to yell at his trainer. He voiced his concerns very loudly with a few ugly words interlaced in the tantrum. He asked him what was going on and why had the sparring partner hit him so hard that it knocked him to the ground. The trainer laughed and explained that he shouldn't have taken his eyes off of his opponent. He told him that he had gotten cocky after the last punch he landed on him and allowed pride to swell up in his mind, causing him to look toward the others for applause. That, he explained, left the door open for Buck to come in and take him down.

The boxer stood there staring at the trainer. You could see the embarrassment on his face as he knew that pride had led to his defeat. He began to yell about how hard Buck had hit him and that he thought he was only supposed to buffet him lightly "just to train". The coach shook his head and explained to him that he needed that hard lick to show him what arrogance can do to a man. He told him about an old saying, "pride goes before a fall". The boxer shook his head and said he was done. As he left the ring, the others had a hearty laugh at his expense and called him a few bad words.

That night at his house, the cameras captured him as he spoke with his father on the phone. He told him what had happened in the ring and his dad explained to him that it was for his own good, to show him what can happen in the ring during the real fight. He told his son not to allow such a small thing to cause him to miss out on his dream of becoming a champion.

The boxer agreed and the next day he got back into the ring with Buck and continued his training. From then until the end of the documentary, he was careful as to not get too arrogant and allow pride to cause him to fall again. He knew that he had to stay aware of his surroundings and what his opponent was doing at all times.

At the very end, I watched as all of his hard work paid off and he won the big fight and some "purse" as it's called for being the champion. He was smiling as he held up his hands, but it was no longer an arrogant, cocky smile, but rather one filled with humility. He looked over at his trainer and whispered, "thank you" and was given a wink and a nod in return.

There have been times in all of our lives when we've been "the boxer". We've been in training in life for a mission or something we're called to do. We go about our days doing what is necessary to become strong for the fight when suddenly we have a sparring partner introduced to buffet us in our efforts. We get knocked down and become angry. We ask God to take it from us, only to be told that the sparring partner is for our benefit to make us stronger and keep us from becoming too arrogant.

2 Corinthians 12 explains it so well. Paul goes to God to ask him to take his "thorn in the flesh" away, only to be told that it was for his own good that it remains. Whatever the thing was that buffeted Paul, whatever messenger of Satan had been sent to him was enough to cause him to ask God three times to take it from him; only to be told no, that His grace was sufficient for him. Paul goes on to say that he understands the thorn in the flesh is there to keep him from being exalted above measure. So whatever "thing" Paul wanted rid of reminds me of the sparring partner that the boxer wanted rid of. That thing kept Paul humble like the sparring partner kept the boxer humble. I read an article recently that stated something to the effect that spiritual burdens are used to cure spiritual pride. And that troubles are sent to teach us to pray and show us our need for dependence upon God. How much would we be exalted in ourselves if we could fix our own problems and never feel the need for God?

I know the answer to that because it happened to me last year. I was flying high with the release of my first book in the Ultimate Betrayal series. There was a demand for another one and talks of the movie began to take shape. I became a self-proclaimed "independent, strong woman who needed no one". I had adopted the feminist point of view and was NOT going to let anyone take care of me. I was my own hero who saved herself.

But it wasn't true at all. I needed GOD!! I needed Him to take care of me, to love me and to save me. I can't do those things on my own and I never want to attempt them again.

God allowed me to see my need for Him and that His grace is all I need. So in my arrogance of believing that I can be this strong woman who needs no one, I learned that I do need God to help me each day.

I am strong, yes, but only because of God's grace that brought me through every trial and painful experience I've encountered in life. I am independent in the fact that I don't rely on any man in life, but I'm not independent to the point that I don't need God. I do need Him and His guidance each day. My tagline is to work hard and Dream Big and I believe you should. But don't ever forget who it is that helps you along the way. Don't ever forget that God is the One who rewards the hard work and brings those dreams to fruition.

Much love,

Christy

Helpful verses:

Proverbs 16:18; 2 Corinthians 12:7