I bought a used top-quality (A2000) baseball glove from my buddy. It was not very well broken in, but I knew that over time I could break it in and make it a good glove. I used it in every warm-up to every game, I put glove oil on it all the time, but it was still too tough to be flexible enough to use in a game. It is now over 2 decades later, and it is still too tough to be used in a competitive game. That must have been some tough cow. Second, I have a window that is the opposite of the glove. One day it was stuck. I pushed up on the windowsill with all my strength. The glass broke. Often life punches us in the jaw. In boxing, if a fighter has a “glass jaw” it means they get knocked down fast. For people fighting addiction, if our reaction to life punching us, is to break. Then, we will always struggle. We need to react to life punching us the way my leather glove reacts. Over my whole life, that glove has stayed tough and resilient. Consider praying: “Father, help me to react to life's problems like leather, tough, and resilient.” James 1:2-8 ESV Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Increase your toughness by counting it all joy when life punches you in the face. When my new worker crashed my other website this week I prayed: “Father, I rejoice that my website has crashed.” I had to pray it 5 times before I really started to shake it off. Finally, our weapons for fighting when life runs us over #1 Rejoice. #2 Give thanks. #3 Pray often about reacting like “leather” when life punches you in the face. We must endure trials, pressures, and blows in life. Always be ready, always have a plan. Be like leather.
