Tragic Heartbreak at the Olympics

I have a relatively secret passion that only a few people close to me know. I love boxing. Not kickboxing, but real boxing. For the last year, I have taken boxing classes on and off at a local boxing club. I love the sport. I don't mean just a little, but I love the sport a lot. I love to watch it, and I love to go to the boxing club, get into the ring and punch the crap out of someone. I know, it's so un-princess-like behavior. It has been a tremendous pressure release for me when things get really crazy around me. I love it. I don't love to be punched, but it's the price you pay when you enter the ring.

I say all that to frame the next comments. I have been watching the Olympic boxing bouts. On Tuesday night, I watched a particularly tragic boxing bout between the USA Olympic boxer Rau'shee Warren and the Korean boxer Ok Sung Lee. Sung Lee is the world champion flyweight boxer. I know, this is not exciting to most. To me, it was extremely exciting. Warren held his own throughout the entire bout. At one point, they were tied 7-7. For the next rounds, the two traded point for point. In the eighth round, Warren thought he was ahead in the match. This is when he made his tragic mistake. He began listening to the crowd, who were shouting that he was ahead. For the final 40 seconds of the match, much to the chagrin of his trainers, and frankly me, he did not fight. He took a passive position and danced around Sung Lee. If he had listened to his trainers, he would have heard that he was not ahead, but trailing 9-8 in the final round. His road to the Olympics ended tragically - because he stopped listening to his coaches and trainers. I was stunned as I watched the final round. I couldn't believe what was happening. I wanted the crowd to shut up - and for Warren to listen to the trainers whose voices were being drowned out by the crowd.

A shocking turn of events. A sacrifice made to get to the Olympics only to lose in the last round by being passive. I thought about this and how this happens often in my life with God. He is my trainer and coach. Often, though, the crowd around me drowns out the still small voice of God. I get confused and get into a passive position. I essentially take a break in the battle. It's not pretty but that's real. As bad as I felt for Warren during this bout, I couldn't believe how much this mirrored my walk sometimes. The boxer sobbed when he learned that he listened to the wrong advice. Isn't that how we should be after listening to the wrong advice? After quieting the still small voice of God and making a choice to take a passive stance in a battle that so needs us to fight actively.

Just as tragic as this was for the boxer, so tragic is it in my walk when I don't listen to the voice of my trainer - God Almighty. Lessons from the Olympics. Such an illustration to remind me to remain active in the battle.