When life gets tough put on your boxing gloves.

We go through life, wanting and desiring to be protected and to be safe. Therefore, we often find ourselves striving to get the best car insurance, the best health care insurance so that in case of any unexpected events, we may be protected. But if I were to ask you about your heart insurance or your mind insurance what would you say? who protects your mind or your heart when you face challenging situations in life that affect those specific areas? I would feel very insecure if I had to drive a car that does not have insurance not only because I would be afraid to get caught but I would mostly be afraid of paying damages of someone's else car or mine.

          Insurance companies have made millions and millions of dollars in promising us to repair the damages of our health, our cars, our houses in a case of an accident.  Even though, they can not  prevent the accidents, they are willing to pay for the damages. The other day, I was shopping for my car insurance and this guy was selling me an insurance as a renter. To be quite honest, it was my first time hearing about insurance for renters. Apparently, in case of fire in your apartment caused by you, your landlord can make you pay for the damages which perfectly makes sense. Therefore, if you have an insurance, you would be covered. But imagine this, the landlord has the house insurance and the renter has another insurance. In my opinion, that is a ripoff.  Anyway the point is, we all have to pay for some sort of insurance (whether its for our cars, our houses or our health) to be covered for the damages that may occur in case of an accident. 

So I have been asking myself, who can promise to repair the wounds of our hearts when we face loss, divorce, depression or failure? who is willing to pay the damages of a brokenhearted? Can a best friend promise to heal your heart in case of your divorce? Can  your daughter or your son do it? Can your husband promise to comfort your heart in case of depression?  We often don't realize that the most precious part of our being (meaning our minds and our hearts) have no insurance from any company or anyone else. We are on our own when it comes to dealing with unexpected events that cause damages to our hearts and minds.  

In proverbs 4:23, the bibles says «Above ALL ELSE Guard your heart for EVERYTHING you do flows from it». We might read this verse and move on without truly thinking about what it really means. When it says ABOVE ALL ELSE, that excludes everything else.

If you've been raised in a christian home or a christian community then you are very familiar with this verse (in fact you might be rolling your eyes as you read this  and your mind might go like... blah blah... I've heard this a million times). This verse means that our actions, our attitudes and our words reveal the state of our heart (our mind). Sometimes by observing someone else's behaviour, we can get an idea of what's going on in their heart.

 I can compare this verse with the way boxers protect their head during a fight.  Boxers are trained for one purpose: punch effectively. And with the discipline of blocking, consistent head movements, and footwork. In fact, boxers use head movements, footwork, and punches to form a very efficient striking system. This system is also widely considered one of the most effective methods for self-defense.

If you observe boxers, you would often see that they protect their head by positioning their hands forward. The footwork and hand-eye coordination involved in boxing helps build a practitioner’s overall motor skills. Individuals with good motor skills will have better reflexes and reaction time not just in boxing, but in all other physical activities.
So when it comes to real life, can you block all those punches that life through at you or do you let everything get into you? Do you have a consistent head movement when trials come your way? or Do you know when to punch and when to protect? 

All this to say, when life gets tough put on your boxing gloves. As for me, the hands of my Heavenly Father have been the best boxing gloves that I have ever wore. They always protect, always heal and always comfort my heart. My question for you today is where are your boxing gloves?