The Boxing Match Begins…

     The journey that had brought me to this point had been arduous, a rollercoaster ride filled with slow crawls up the peak of a steep-rising hill followed by a plummet to the lowest of valleys below.

The difference in a rollercoaster and this life journey was that more times than not there didn’t seem to be enough momentum for my friend to climb the next hill and, as hard as I tried to hold on to her, she would break out so that she could stay in the valley a little longer.

It was so hard to understand what power this deep, dark place held over her, but the fact was it had become so familiar to her that she had begun to mistake it as her safe place. It was miserable. It was scary. It was damp and dark. But, it’s what she knew. And, as a bonus, she couldn’t fall any deeper if she was already at the bottom. Or so she thought.

Truth was, the bottom of this valley, this pit, was the final battleground. At stake was not only the rest of her life on earth and a God-given purpose that would increase and change the face of Heaven exponentially, but her own soul. 

Not since Job had satan been more conniving as he knew how important she was in God’s plan. He studied her intently. He learned her weaknesses. He knew just where to deliver the next blow. He knew who and what to use against her. He knew when to take the gloves off. But, like Job, he also knew he could not, himself, take her life.

She would have to do that herself. He had her trapped in the valley. She was trapped in the boxing ring. Now he just needed to get her to throw in the towel.

Writer’s Note: The above is an excerpt of a story that is still being written, both figuratively and literally. I share it today, because my friend is fighting her way out of the valley as I type and I know that I know that she will emerge victoriously.

Indeed, a woman of petite stature, she has never been particularly strong from the physical perspective. But, from a spiritual standpoint, it is a much different story. The problem has always been that she doesn’t really recognize her own strength.

Yes, even though there is no doubt that God has handpicked this woman to play a pivotal role in His grand plan, she is yet to connect the dots…until now. I pray for her constantly as she undergoes this time of sorting out the puzzle pieces of her life–some quite jagged and still very painful–to impact the world in a way only she can; the way that God designed from the very beginning.

Get behind us, Satan, for the gloves are off and you are going down. Can’t you hear Heaven’s roar? I can.