Your Cornerman

At a recent kickboxing tournament my son was fighting in I grew more interested watching the cornermen coaching the fighters than watching the actual fights.  These were my first live, organized fights to attend, I had never been so close to action.  

Sometimes things get rough in the corner...

Fighting is analgous to life in so many ways.  There is nothing more raw than entering a ring and knowing that you alone will contend against one man.  It's not a team sport inside the ring, one man will dominate and one man will be defeated.  

Here's what struck me about the relationship between the fighter and his "corner".

The cornerman;

Knocked down...his corner coaching him to get up!

• wants you to win! He's invested in you in every way, has spent hours helping you perfect your skills and grow your ability.
• has a vantage point that the you cannot possess.  You have to trust that he sees and knows the truth about what you are and are not doing to win.
• is soley focused on you; nothing distracts him and you are his singular mission.
• has no time to mince words.  In the 60 seconds between rounds he tells you exactly what you need to do to win the fight.  
• is not trying to get you to like him, but soley wants you to survive and win the match.
• may have been a fighter, or maybe not.  One thing he knows however is what it takes to win in your fight.

Here's what I noticed about the fighters in relationship to their corners.

Cornerman giving quick instruction...

• they were in total dependence on their cornermen; they trusted them.
• they submitted to them, they understood their need for advice and physical support.
• there was no time for dialogue, the fighters listened to their coaches.
• most importantly, the fighter ask's for this type of relationship, he needs and wants a tough cornerman.

There was a moment in taking these images that I became envious of the fighters.  These men had the total attention of one man who at that moment knew what needed to be done and was invested in them to win.  How many guys in the ring of life have that; most want it desperately but don't know how or where to find it.  I contend that this kind of relationship is found in authentic brotherhood of Christian men who are willing to barenuckle each other with the truth.  Not because they want to dominate but because they love them and want them to win in life.

Your corner wants you to win!

Spiritually, for Christians, the Holy Spirit is our Counselor, and cornerman.  He's always coaching us toward winning in Christ and tells us the truth of ourselves and God.

Thanks for visiting.