How To Roll With The Punches

How do we  roll with the punches of life?

As humans, we constantly find ourselves engaged in battles and struggles. Not necessarily always against others, but against forces preeminent, and embedded into the everyday processes of life.

The many joys and victories of life are often accompanied by and are preceded by these struggles and sometimes misfortune. However, we roll with them.

We roll with the punches of life because we somehow know that there will be some kind of light at the end of the tunnel, even if we don’t currently see it. Embedded in our human spiritual makeup, is a faith that things will always get better some day. Throughout the course of life, we experience this truth over and over again, as each of us continually overcome obstacle after obstacle…small and large. These experiences produce strength, varying levels of hope, and an awareness that nothing lasts forever, all ingredients that help us to continually produce on levels large and small.

Jesus once said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

As humans, crafted in God’s image, that same ability is inherent in all of us. The ability to overcome. Those who have a more personal relationship with God, inviting and embracing Jesus’ conquering spirit to operate within us, have even more capability to roll with punches…even greater punches. It is because those who will do the right things in life, will face far greater troubles and hardships, than those who do not.  It is what Jesus was trying to prepare people for, who would commit themselves to his leadership in their lives. He was essentially saying, “walking uprightly will often cause great hardships and pain, but my presence with you during those times, will give you the strength and wisdom to cause you to be able to roll with those punches, and eventually come out on top.” Well, I can certainly agree with Jesus on that statement. I have experienced far more trouble and pain doing the right thing than when I have done the wrong things, but always seem to eventually triumph. Of course, we know Jesus has also. 

 We live in a society where there is such tremendous pressure to do and say what is popular, what will be accepted, and what will not bring us reproach from those around us, those that we feel we need, and those that have levels of power over us. We live in a society now, where there is increased incentive to do and say what will bring us glory from those around us, from those who can give us what  we need, and from those who can give us power.  

This trend is not consistent with the glorious makeup of man. Certainly not with God. Any behavior that is designed to race for glory is a satanic principle, as Lucifer’s mindset was and always will be designed to race for the glory, as his spirit encourages this mindset among mankind. Rolling with the punches of life is an overcoming and conquering principle that is part of man’s makeup, but it is for the purpose of servicing mankind, not for personal glory. Man’s original commission in the Garden of Eden was to conquer and service the earth, to guard it, not for personal achievements. Our life on this earth is not for personal achievements, and to achieve personal glory, but to contribute to its upkeep, the upkeep of mankind. Power is not for the purpose of personal glory, or achievement, but for the purpose of service, as God commissioned Adam in the garden.

True Conquerors are those who serve mankind and have achieved the heights of their service.

Rolling with the punches certainly  has a glory component to it, however. We constantly hear stories of triumph, where people have experienced seemingly insurmountable obstacles to eventually shine brightly above their peers in the service and contributions to the upkeep of  mankind. The same is true for anyone who will  walk with a clean heart and tread upon the path of justice towards their fellow man, and embark upon doing and saying what is not designed to give us the glory from mankind, but to serve mankind, and to contribute to the upkeep of a healthy civilization.

The Apostle Peter admonished in the scriptures that, “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.”-1Peter4:14

In the preceding and succeeding verses in this passage, Peter alluded to the concept of rolling with the punches of life either for good or for bad. Either way, life is full of troubles, that we, as men and women, have the ability to overcome. However, overcoming life’s obstacles, and rolling with the greater punches as a disciple of Christ, living out his attributes, or his “name” as Peter put it, comes with not only God’s glory, but God’s  presence inside you. In the original translation, the word ‘glory’ here, is defined as ‘honor’,  and  ‘brightness.’

Since we have to roll with the punches of life, no matter what kind of life we live, it is better to  receive the more bright and honorable glory that has a more eternal and heavenly presence attached to it, that comes from servicing mankind in whatever your purpose may be, than to race for the personal glory, that will likely have the same eternal outcome as Lucifer.