Get Up Off The Canvas

It is believed that Solomon wrote much of the book of Proverbs, but I think that Proverbs 24:16 (NIV) may have been written by Rocky Balboa.

Proverbs 24:16 (NIV) says, "For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again ...."

Did you ever feel like Rocky Balboa? Has life been knocking you down again and again? Do you keep hitting the canvas, bloody and bruised, confused and concussed, unsure of where to go or what to do? Maybe you feel ready to throw in the towel. Maybe you feel ready to say, "No mas!"

Life is like that at times. Sometimes the beating can seem to last for days or weeks or months or years, and you feel like you can't go on any longer. You want to quit. You want it all to end. But think of Rocky and think of Proverbs 24:16. Rocky Balboa kept getting pummeled, time and time again, and the righteous man in Proverbs 24:16 fell seven times, but they both got up, kept persevering, kept fighting, and won in the end.

You can do the same. When life knocks you down, get up. Get up off the canvas. Take the standing-8 count and keep fighting. Keep going forward. Keep persevering. Don't quit. Don't throw in the towel. Don't say, "No mas!" You may fall seven times, just like the righteous man in Proverbs 24:16, but the eighth time may be the time when you emerge as the champion.