Fight Smart
Photo Credit
My soon-to-be husband decided to step forward and get into the ring. On a fateful day that forever changed my life, he bellied up to the kitchen counter at my parent’s home and went “mano a mano” with the Macho Cuban padre himself.
Okay, maybe he didn’t exactly duel my dad, but he did ask for my hand in marriage.
How did it go? I asked nervously afterward.
My man smiled wickedly and mimicked by father’s slight accent to give me the play-by-play.
At one point, Papi had offered sage marital advice. “Bruce,” he prophetically proclaimed, “in marriage you have to learn to roll with the punches.”
I remember laughing at the irony. Frankly, I grew up in a house where he who screams loudest wins. This fighter was determined to step out of the ring and wave off the verbal punches.
What I failed to realize is that the punches we’d face would come rapid fire from a completely different opponent. Bruce and I would frequently face fierce opposition and don gloves as a dynamic duo.
Bam! Miscarriage
Whack! Caregiving
Bang! Depression
Whomp! Grief
The wallops kept coming. Suddenly, my dad’s pithy comment morphed into our combat plan.
We roll with the punches. Take that, anxiety. You won’t knock us down for the count. We know our way around the ring.
Maybe like me you feel like you’ve been sucker punched in the gut a few times too many. How do we stay standing when the hits keep coming?
Let’s weigh in and remember we’ve got the Undisputed Champion in our corner.
5 Ways to Fight Smart
- Stay in stride: If you don’t want to be a punching bag, you must learn to adapt to your environment, adjust quickly to the onslaught, and stay agile in your movements (Philippians 4:12-14; Romans 12:1-2; I Corinthians 9:24-27).
- Keep your opponent at arm’s length: Don’t get distracted. Stay untangled so that you are not vulnerable to attack (II Corinthians 10:3-5; Hebrews 12:1-3; II Timothy 2:4).
- Anticipate an oncoming blow: Practice your defensive moves daily to build your muscles. Pivot into prayer. Swing into the Scriptures (Romans 12:21; I Peter 3:15, Hebrews 4:12).
- Punch fear in the face: You can walk confidently to the center of the arena because God has armed you with His strength (Deuteronomy 3:2; II Timothy 1:7; Ephesians 6:10, Psalms 18:32).
- Determine to never give up: If you fall, get back up and stay at it. Remember there are many rounds to come, and the victory is sure (Deuteronomy 20:4; Romans 8:31; Isaiah 41:10, I John 4:4).
Our Defender will teach us to fight smart, roll with the punches, and stay standing.
Lyli, you are such a creative writer, yet hand out God’s deep and straight Truth. Those punches do keep coming in life, yet God never leaves us and is there with the yoke so that we can have Him in the ring with us. Thanks for the insights and blessings.
I am glad He is a fighter on our behalf. 🙂 xo
Your points are so helpful!
So glad you were encouraged! xo
Good words, Lyli, and such a firm foundation for a life together.
We actually found the words quite humorous, but we’ve learned their value over the last 7 years. 🙂
Thank you for hosting! Great, thoughtful post!
Lyli, you are SO creative. With just a few words, you’ve given us valuable life lessons and a lot to think about. This is thought-provoking for sure!
Wonderful post, Lyli. May we also remember that our God will fight for us … “Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!” (Deuteronomy 20:3-4, NLT) Thank you for giving me the answer for a friend who contacted me last night! Bless you!
So glad that this was timely for you, Joanne! I love it when God does that. Praing for your friend today. Hugs
Good post today, Lyli. It overflows with encouragement and wisdom ~ and overwhelming success. (And girl, you can write descriptively and succinctly. I love it!) I’m thanking God that you and Bruce are fighting the good fight well.
We fight on! (and thanks for being such a cheerleader! xo)
Great word of encouragement, Lyli! And I love God’s image of the three strand cord . . . He stands with us as we fight. I love your united front. Rev and I have faced many challenges too, and by God’s grace we have not only endured but we’ve grown closer to each other and to the Lord. Thanks for this! Many blessings to you!
I love this analogy! Good advice! I tend to be more the “avoid confrontation at all costs” type, but there are definitely times we need to stand up and fight.
Even when they’re certain the dad will say yes, I think it still must take lots of courage for a young man to ask a dad for his daughter’s hand in marriage. 🙂 My daughter’s now-fiancee did that a couple months ago, and last month asked Jenna to marry him. We’re all excited!
Lyli – I love these 5 tips and they are very practical – I have to say I LOVE #4 – Punch Fear in the face! Thank you so much for sharing things that we can implement in our daily lives. Also thank you for hosting.
Thank you for hosting!
Well done Lyli! I love you applications here in regards to boxing and fighting smart. I think that it is important to realize that we will take some punches in the battle as you indicated. What a blessing to have the Almighty in our corner advising, protecting, and instructing us in how to survive our battles. We may not be able to avoid the body blows that come our way but with Christ in our corner we will be victorious! Thanks for sharing this post today and congrats on your engagement!
Wow!!! Lyli, I love this. I honestly wish I had this in a printable to hang on my mirror as a reminder. This is so good….all 5 points. I have always been a fighter, but not necessarily a smart fighter. I tend to fight to win, sometimes with low blows and fighting in the natural when I should be using my spiritual weapons. Great tips here. Thanks for sharing them with us!
So many good points. The enemy would love nothing more than to knock us down and prevent us from getting back up.
Awesome tips! Thank you for the encouragement! Blessings
“Our Defender will teach us to fight smart, roll with the punches, and stay standing.” I’m so thankful God is our defender and we can put our confidence in Him. Blessings to you, Lyli!
Lyli, timely words!! My post last week was about *knockout faith*!! Yes, sometimes we have to “roll with the punches” and sometimes we have to “come out fighting.” Sometimes I don’t feel like fighting the enemy, nor do I feel like I have the resources to do it. Truth? I don’t, not in my own power. I love your very practical advice at the end of this post. Especially #5 – for even though it’s tempting to give up and lie down on the mat for the “ten count,” God lifts my arms in power and strength.
GOD BLESS!
Hi, i think that i saw you visited my blog thus i got here to “return the preferâ€.I am attempting to in finding issues to enhance my website!I suppose its adequate to use a few of your ideas!!
Lyli,
I love this! What a cute vision this makes of your husband asking for your hand in marriage! I love how you used the concept of boxing/fighting as a plan to prepare ourselves for the battles we must face in life. So much truth and so creative! You bless me!