In elementary school, any time I was sick and had to stay at home, I’d watch one of the Rocky movies. You see, one of my older brothers used to work nights loading trucks and those movies were his favorite. I’m not sure when the tradition started, but we’d put them on and watch them until one of us fell asleep. When I feel sick today, I sometimes put those movies back on.
I was thinking of that this week because I haven’t been feeling well physically, and, for a long time, I haven’t been doing all that well spiritually. That can be seen in my lack of posting for the past several months. Then I remembered a couple of scenes from one of my favorite Rocky movies—Rocky IV (which both my older brothers cannot believe because nothing is as good as the original…)
In that movie, Drago, a boxer played by Dolph Lundgren, is basically unbeatable. He tells Rocky in one of the most favorite lines from the film, “I will break you.” I’ve pretty much felt like I’ve been competing against a competitor (a.k.a., life) lately that is saying the same thing. But, then I thought of what Rocky says at one point (and it’s a motto that is found in all of the movies, really): “Going in one more round when you don’t think you can–that’s what makes all the difference in your life.”
Even though my spiritual life is faltering a bit right now, and even though there are a lot of challenges around me, I’m trying hard to get up off the mat to keep going.
And I’d like to ask you for any advice you may have of how to build yourself and your spirituality back up when things get really rough. Please share in the comments below.
Footprints on the Journey 