Imagine for the moment that you are in a room of sorts. The lights are dim, hovering just barely beyond the state of being off. The room is so near to complete darkness that the hands in front of your face are nearly unrecognizable. The room is complete darkness, interrupted only ever so briefly by a strobe light passing through. The air around you is thick and musty, damp and heavy. You smell sweat, you taste salt in the air. You realize that you are not alone. You hear people nearby, but you can't make out any faces. Their voices seem a close to you as your next breath, and yet some come to you almost as distant echoes from mountain heights. From as near as five feet you hear some cheers, a man ask if they are in the right seat, and somebody grumble that the event should have started already. The delay become sickening, and a chorus of boos erupt.
Now a much more intense light slowly fades into the room, and with that light, you realize you are in a boxing ring. Your back is held up by the taut top rope. Your heart races. The chatter in the background becomes faint and the intense light, the center ring spotlight, begins to focus squarely on a single corded black microphone descending in slow motion to the now outstretched hands of a dapper gentleman in a white tuxedo. Your pores are open, adrenaline surges, and your mind races.
The fight announcer grabs the microphone in his right hand, pulling it in as his voice breaks in over all the sounds and music. "This contest is scheduled for .... " As soon as his raspy and energy laced voice begins, your mind trails off. Your concentration has turned to the fact that your legs are wobbling even more than your heart is pounding. But he continues, "... The challengerrrr, in the black corner, from parts unknown and parts all over... weighing in at a whopping...," you swoon between his next words, only to catch the last word "pounds." The announcer pauses, then his voice rolls on, "He'll add to your trials, troubles, challenges and he plans to give you a plain ole bad day...the challengerrrrrr... the nightmare..." At the sound of the challenger's name, you nearly faint. Your whole body goes limp, save only the faint quivers from the wobbly, bubbly knees. You question how you might have ever conceived of being able to face such a juggernaut, and ask yourself, where have I seen this challenger before?
And then he, the dapper gentleman in the gleaming white tuxedo, turns and he looks at you. He looks right into your eyes. Your eyes, the very ones that are so wide open that you could drive a truck through them. The same eyes that were once searching the darkness to find a light, and are now searching for a way to turn the light off so you can secretly find the exit. You even contemplate if climbing up the dangling microphone chord would be a viable escape route from the seemingly "two ton opponent" glaring menacingly from across the ring. You want to blink... but you don't. You turn your gaze as he continues to announce the fight card. Like the timid toddler, you imagine that if you don't see him, he can't see you. But the powerful fire on the nape of your neck from his gaze won't let your pretend, and won't let you forget that across the ring is a force who wants to give you "a plain ole bad day!"
Climbing the microphone is out of the question, and so you listen again as the announcer continues. "And now!!!!! In the RED corner," the dapper man shouts. You start to panic. You are in the red corner. Your mind races, barely hearing his next word. You are still wondering, how did you get in this fight? How will little you face all of this "stuff". Who even said you wanted to face this challenger, today or any day for that matter!
Still looking for the way out, you hear the crackle from the microphone and the words, "Fighting for the red corner... he hales from eternity past to eternity present, he is seated on the throne of heaven, He is, He was, He always will be.... thee undefeated, thee undisputed, and thee unrivaled Champion OF IT ALL... the Everlasting God, the commander of Angel Armies, the Sovereign God!" The crowd is at a fever pitch of excitement. The microphone crackles one last time as you hear the trademark pre-fight phrase, "Let's get ready to rumble!"
Ding, ding, ding!
The bell has rung!
Whoever you are and wherever you may be, please remember that we face this day with the ALL POWERFUL God in our corner, and He is fighting for us. He will make us victorious, no matter what today throws at us. Have a wonderful day!
Love you--- Cassius
