Have you ever had a time in your life where you felt as if your back has been up against the wall?

Perhaps the question should be not if you had a time like this, but how many times you have visited this painted-into-a-corner spot in the room.

I am talking about a time where there appears to be no apparent option at your disposal and you are left fumbling for an answer or a direction in which to turn.

We have all been there at one time or another.

If this is or has been your plight you can choose to do nothing and hope the issue blows away – check!

You can choose to cave into the pressure and allow it to sink your ship while you take on water – bought the T-shirt!

Lastly, you can draw the proverbial line-in-the-sand while you audibly or silently declare “Enough is enough” and take aim on whatever issue(s) have you backed into the corner of the ring.

I personally have played all three strings on my violin and I most assuredly prefer the outcome when I have drawn the line in the sand and have taken aim on that which has attempted to sink me.

The other options were in short, miserable.

On the surface, the Rocky IV plays out as a commentary of East meets West, the U.S. vs. the U.S.S.R, and Us vs. Them.

It is a boxing movie set against the landscape of the post-cold war era. Check out the trailer below for a refresher course circa twenty years ago.

At a deeper level, the movie is much more.

Rocky seeks to avenge the death of his friend and former competitor, Apollo Creed, who died in the ring at the hands of a young Russian fighting machine named Ivan Drago.

It is suicide to consider getting in the ring with a seemingly invincible opponent based on the evidence in front of him.

In an effort to relieve his conscience and to honor Creed, Rocky commits to fighting Drago much to the dismay of his wife who declares to him, “You can’t win!”

Rocky is painted into the corner and knows there is only one way out – to accept the challenge and do what he does best, fight!

He states, “To beat me he is going to have to kill me!”

No matter how you slice the cake, you have to love his attitude.

He is focused and determined.

He won’t be denied.

He is “all in”, translated committed.

Wouldn’t you or I do ourselves a favor to respond in the same manner when the odds are stacked against us and there appears to be no way out?

As we all know and have experienced, life hits us from all sides – and often.

My encouragement to you today is simply this – sometimes you and I need to get in the ring whether we feel like it or not, acknowledge we have an opponent, and come out swinging.

A punch not thrown will never connect.

More importantly, the victory which is yours cannot be attained from the cheap seats.

It’s time to step in the ring and go after those things which you desire.

Don’t you realize that in a race (boxing match) everyone runs (boxes), but only one person gets the prize?

So run (box) to win!  1 Corinthians 9:24 (NLT)