By Brenda Cannon Henley
I love words. I have always loved words since my Uncle Donald encouraged me to read when I was very young. He brought me books he had found on sale, those given to him, and from the local library. For each book I read, and was able to give him enough of a verbal report or the genesis of the story line, he gave me a small amount of money. If it were a decent size book, I might get a quarter or two. I so looked forward to his visits, the books, and the prizes I earned.

This very intelligent man told me when I started the fourth grade of school that if I would attend every day, he would reward me at the end of the school year. I did not miss one single day and even went sick a time or two. As summer came to our town, he came to our home and presented me with a beautiful two-volume, leather bound set of The Lincoln Library. I treasured those two wonderful books and used them often for research, knowledge, and just to enjoy the truths contained in their covers. I kept those two books until Hurricane Ike took them from me.

This week I was reading a book and I came across a phrase I had never heard. A character in the book addressed a man who understood the boxing lingo and said, “Well, I have reconsidered and you may have a ‘puncher’s chance.’” I did a little research and found that the man was virtually saying that although the man was certainly outclassed by his opponent, he might have the opportunity of landing just one good blow that would cause him to win the match. He went on to give clear instruction as to what to look for, how to be on guard, and when to throw the punch.

I thought about this phrase for quite a while and I know that perhaps many of us have believed ourselves to have undoubtedly been the recipient of a lucky “puncher’s chance,” when in truth, God was there all the time, on the scene, on guard, standing ready to help, and in fact, had orchestrated the outcome. It is no accident that we are taught to live our lives by faith.

Have we ever started to leave one destination to go to another and been delayed or hindered? We perhaps fretted or fussed that we would be late only to discover that a terrible accident had happened just minutes before. If we had left when we wanted, we most likely would have been in the accident, injured badly, or caught up in the traffic. Have we ever wanted a job or position so badly that we were hurt to the core when we did not get it only to discover some months later that God had something better in mind for us?

Here’s the really big one — What about relationships? We get in our mind that a certain person is “the one” for us only to find that it doesn’t work out. Perhaps we did not give the relationship time to grow and mature. Just maybe this person wasn’t honest or forthcoming about his or her past or future plans. God knows all of the story while we only learn a portion. We must trust Him to bring the exact right person into our lives and at the exact perfect time. That’s hard and it applies to all ages, not just teens and young professionals. Wait on God. His way is best.

Let’s don’t count on “puncher’s chances” to set the course of our lives. If they happen, give God the glory. If they don’t, realize that God has the master plan and that He will give us the wisdom to wait on it to unfold. Whatever it is today that we are searching for, give it to God in faith and trust and wait, hard though it may be to do on a day-to-day basis. God knows the past, the present, and the future and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can trust Him.

(This article first published 7/27/2015)

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788, at
[email protected]