Boxing Gloves

We all know people who seem to go through life with boxing gloves on.
They are ready to fight at any given instant.
They are ready to fight about anything and everything.
The temperature of their food, the loss of a parking space, or the long lines in a checkout.

It is the anger of George Bailey when he lashes out at Zuzu’s teacher.
His own insecurity and feeling that he did not measure up, overflowed to her.
He blamed Mrs. Welch for Zuzu’s cold, since she came home with her coat unzipped.
When Mr. Welch got on the phone to defend his wife, George Bailey lashed out at him, too.

It is the anger of the person who gets cut off on the road and yells words out of the car window.
It is the anger of the person who is accidentally overcharged and sees it as a personal offense.
It is the anger of some parents as they watch their child play sports.
To them, the coaches are wrong, the umpires are wrong, and the other team is wrong.

Sometimes the littlest thing makes someone come unhinged.
We who happen to witness that unhinging, are not aware of the cause.
Prying into the reason may not be the wisest thing to do at that moment.
However, it is an ugly thing to see.

Do you ever have one of those days yourself?
Do you ever just feel annoyed for no reason?
Do you ever feel that the next thing said will make you say a few things you regret?
Do you ever feel frustrated but you don’t quite know towards whom?

We are fragile people, yet we think we are so strong.
We think we can handle everything ourselves.
We walk around wearing boxing gloves many days.
We may not even know the focus of our anger.

Do you ever feel sad for no reason?
Do you ever find yourself driving down the road and a song catches you by surprise?
You hear the song and are immediately transported back in memory.
The memory may bring tears of joy or tears of sorrow without warning.

Do you ever feel afraid?
A feeling of fear or dread comes over you without explanation.
You try to squelch it down but it demands attention.
You cannot name the fear but it is real.

Do you ever feel weary?
Even after a good night’s rest, you are weary to your bones.
Life is hard and feels as if it is pressing in much too close.
The weight of the world feels as if it is on your shoulders and you don’t know why.

If we are alive, we have experienced all of these emotions and more.
We may talk to a trusted friend.
We may take a long walk.
We may write all our feelings down and then rip up the paper.

The feelings are real to us.
The feelings can often deceive us.
The feelings cannot be wished away.
The feelings must be dealt with by the One who is able.

Rich Mullins, a contemporary Christian singer and songwriter, died in a car accident in 1997.
He is known for many worship songs that we still sing in church.
Amy Grant recorded his song, Sing Your Praise To the Lord, in 1981.
That was the beginning of his music career.

Rich Mullins was an accomplished musician.
Many of his songs had amazing instrumentation.
Mullins lyrics were complex.
He often used elaborate metaphors.

His songs often hit the mark.
He was able to express in lyrics what was common to man.
He did not care about the sales of a record as much as being able to say what he wanted to say.
That often put him at odds with the record company.

Mullins had dated a girl for years, asked her to marry him, but His fiance broke the engagement.
It hurt him deeply.
He pondered relationships and the human condition.
He explained some of that in a radio interview.

I would still feel really lonely. And it was just a few years ago that I finally realized that friendship is not a remedy for loneliness. Loneliness is a part of our experience and if we are looking for relief from loneliness in friendship, we are only going to frustrate the friendship. Friendship, camaraderie, intimacy, all those things, and loneliness live together in the same experience. (Rich Mullins)

As I was driving, one of his songs came on from a worship playlist that I had on shuffle.
The song, Hold Me Jesus, hit me to the core.
I thought of all the emotions we experience.
I thought of all the days we go around with boxing gloves on.

Well, sometimes my life just don’t make sense at all.
When the mountains look so big,
And my faith just seems so small.

So hold me Jesus,
Cause I’m shaking like a leaf.
You have been King of my glory.
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace?

And I wake up in the night and feel the dark.
It’s so hot inside my soul,
I swear there must be blisters on my heart.

So hold me Jesus,
Cause I’m shaking like a leaf.
You have been King of my glory,
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace?

Surrender don’t come natural to me.
I’d rather fight You for something
I don’t really want,
Than to take what you give that I need.
And I’ve beat my head against so many walls,
Now I’m falling down, I’m falling on my knees.

And the Salvation Army band is playing this hymn.
And Your grace rings out so deep,
It makes my resistance seem so thin.

So hold me Jesus,
Cause I’m shaking like a leaf.
You have been King of my glory,
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace?

You have been King of my glory,
Won’t You be my Prince of Peace?

Rich Mullins did not deny the human condition.
Instead, he put a spotlight on it.
Surrender does not come natural to us.
We do beat our heads against so many walls.

But then grace comes.

Grace allows us to see clearly.
Grace shows us that the boxing gloves must come off.
The boxing gloves must come off and be handed over to Jesus.
Our resistance does not hold up under the amazing grace that He bestows on us.

Do you ever feel like there is no answer to whatever is pressing in on you?
There is an answer.
There is a cry from your heart that Jesus loves to hear.
Hold me, Jesus!

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6,7)

The situation may stay the same, but you are held.
Being held by Jesus makes all the difference in the world.
Grace upon grace.
The tender mercy of our God.

Jesus, the King of our glory.
We cry out to Him in our darkest moments; He is our Prince of Peace.
Call out to Him.
Fall on your knees in prayer, extend your hands to Him, and hand over the boxing gloves.

Surrender it all to Him.
Then the peace comes.