Taking the Hits
01-10-2007
by Johann Snyder

When the trailer for Rocky Balboa hit theatres, a lot of people snickered and some outright laughed (and I have to admit, I was one of them). The whole concept seemed ludicrous. Another Rocky movie? Really? He's like what, sixty or something by now? Will audiences really believe that he can come back for one more fight? That's silly. It's ridiculous. It's a shameless attempt at squeezing out a few more dollars from a movie franchise way past its prime. Well, it may be all of those things, but it also happens to be a poignant and a pretty good movie. That's right, I said it's actually good, and it gave me a lot to think about for the New Year.

Rocky has always been known for his simple yet insightful little sayings; his Rockyisms. Well, there's no shortage of those in the new film, but there was one in particular that stuck with me after the movie ended. At this stage in his life, Rocky is a has been. His wife has been taken from him by cancer. His career is faded memory shared with customers at a restaurant. His son is tired of living in his fathers shadow and in his attempt at being obscure he's failed to live up to his full potential. However, in an emotional confrontation with his son, Rocky tells his son something that we should all keep in mind as we move into a New Year; "It's not about how hard you can hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."

Most of us look at a New Year as a fresh start; as an opportunity to forget the hits, the pains, the disappointments and the failures of the past year and to move forward with a clean slate into the new one. We look forward to a better year, one with less hits and the pain they bring. We look forward to a year the holds the promise of prosperity and success and greater ease…and by the end of it, we'll crawl forward to the next year, beaten and bruised by the disappointments of the year past hoping that the next year will be better. It's the same cycle every year, and it can discouraging. Perhaps what we need is change in perspective. Perhaps what we need is to look at this yearly cycle through the eyes of Rocky.

The fact is that life is hard. No matter how much we prepare, no matter how much we plan, despite all we do to make it otherwise, the fact is that life is hard and it often hits us hard when we least expect it. The Bible even warns us of this fact, and it also echoes the sentiments of Rocky when it says, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." Life will hit you, and it will hit you hard. The question is, can you take those hits and keep moving forward. It can be hard to find the strength, the inspiration to do so. But when you strength is in Christ, when you're inspiration is Jesus, you will find the ability to do the impossible; kinda like a sixty year old Rocky coming back for one more fight. You will find the ability to take the hits and keep moving forward; and that, perhaps, is the best thing we can resolve to do at the beginning of a New Year.

Johann "Yo" Snyder is the host of the Mid-day show at M88 radio, 88.3FM in Albuquerque, NM. He writes a monthly blog that takes some elements of current events and pop culture to illustrate spiritual points. The archives for these articles can be found at: http://www.m88.org/yo-duh.asp