Rolling with the Punches!
I’ve never been a boxer and the last time I was in a fist fight was in the spring of 1988 when I was actually trying to break up a brawl when one of the combatants jumped me. But I’ve come to appreciate the phrase, roll with the punches, which is originally from the sport of boxing. It is the practice of strategically moving one’s head back and forth away from the opponent’s glove to lessen the impacts of blows. But there is a larger application to the statement than sports.
The first time I remember hearing the phrase was back in 1994 while serving as a missionary in Moscow, Russia. When I heard “we’ve got to roll with the punches, Steve” it came from a mentor who was advising me on how we needed to respond to an unexpected situation. In daily life the battle phrase is often used as an encouragement to adjust with flexibility and thus withstand and even find victory amidst ever changing and even negative circumstances.
With all the changes going on these days, this phrase certainly seems appropriate. Earlier today I was looking at my 2020 wall sized calendar on which I had sketched out a general path for the new year back in January. Now we’re making plans for streaming Easter services online instead of logistically planning for people to gather in our church building. Life has changed. While the present COVID19 situation is certainly a unique example, the reality is that life seldom goes exactly as we would like. Accidents happen, people get sick or make choices we weren’t expecting, and often our plans are sidetracked by something or someone else.
But we don’t have to allow the blows of life to dictate our thinking and actions. We can roll with the punches. As noted, I’m not a boxer and don’t know how long I’d last in the ring. But here are three simple starting pointers that will help maneuver through the punches of life that come our way.
1. Decide to take a deep breath and keep calm.
One verse that has continuously rung through my head over the past month is from 2 Timothy chapter 4 where the veteran apostle Paul is encouraging the young evangelist Timothy. After a charge to continue preaching Christ no matter what, Paul told Timothy to “keep his head in all situations.” We don’t know everything that Timothy was facing in his day, but this exhortation would obviously apply for us now. It’s so easy to let our imaginations run wild or to begin making judgement calls when we don’t have all the data. This is especially true when we are bombarded with a news media that thrives on fanning the negative while ignoring the positive.
2. Deliberately look for good.
In thinking of Paul again, I’m reminded of the book of Philippians which was written when the apostle was in prison for Christ. Despite his bondage, Philippians is truly a book of encouragement in which Paul concludes toward the end; “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Yes, this season of COVID19 will bring pain. But we can choose to look at the recovery cases which don’t always show up as headlines and the tiny pieces of good around the globe which are often swept under the rug of panic. One example in this season of chaos, is that we are seeing people take stock of what is really important in their lives and that is a good thing.
3. Do what you can control.
Personally for me, fear has not been a big emotion in this season. Anger on the other hand has been something I’ve had to wrestle with. I know that there is usually something deeper at play with anger and I suppose that probably one underlying issue for me is just all the things that I simply cannot control. This past fall a wise man rightfully encouraged me to leave most of the uncontrollable things alone and focus on what I do have control over. This principle is something that made U.S. Grant such a great general in the Civil War. While many Union officers were consumed with worry about what general Lee of the south was doing, Grant continued to push forward with what he could control and eventually brought the Army of Northern Virginia to it’s knees and a conclusion to the war. So maybe a huge help for us would be to honestly admit that there are things in life we cannot control. Then we can let them go and have the freedom to focus on what is in our power right now to change for the good.
Today, right now, I can . . .
-Own my own mistakes.
-Get up and keep fighting after a failure.
-Continue to readjust and plan for the future while all the while holding it gently in my hands.
-Make the most of the immediate and present relationships and opportunities right in front of me.
-Thank God for the small blessings around me each day. Wow, I really do love hearing those birds early in the morning each day in my front yard.
-I can encourage someone else who is struggling and trust that God is still on the throne no matter what life brings.
What would you add?
It’s funny, as I actually recounted the “roll with the punches” phrase a few days ago to one of my children. After I shared it, I had to stop and wonder if they even knew what I was talking about. It was a life lesson for them and I hope that it will be an encouraging pointer for you as well.
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