"It is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich." ~Henry Ward Beecher
About a week before I found out I was pregnant, my husband, who is a four-time Muay Thai kickboxing champion, announced that he was retiring. Now I'd heard this before, so I didn't get too excited. That is, until he said he called the fighting promoter and told him he was retiring and that he would not be attending the fight where his upcoming bout was going to be announced in the ring. Wow. He'd gotten my attention. My husband the kickboxer is retired. For real. Wow! This is big news and news that I'd really been praying for. And here he was sittng before me telling me he was really retiring. It felt surreal.
Now, don't get me wrong. I fully supported his kickboxing fighting career. But it's mighty hard to be the wife on the outside of the ring. And even harder to be a mother sitting with a child outside of that ring. I remember the first fight Rhyan went to where he understood the concept. And as soon as he saw Daddy in that ring, he cried. And I wanted to join him. I would hold my breath until the final second of each and every fight. Praying and hoping he'd never get too hurt. Then there were the weeks leading up to the fight. The training was hard on him. Waking before dawn to run five miles. Getting home worn out and tired on the weekends from even more training. Watching our little one pull on Daddy to play outside, knowing that he didn't have a lick of energy left to throw a ball.
I know this was a hard decision for my husband. It's like a chapter in his life has ended. I know getting in the ring was exciting for him. Training gave him a goal and purpose. I don't under-estimate the importance that it played in his life. But I'm so happy to know that he'll have time for our little ones--and the new little one on the way. Praying for a change with the fighting was such a small request, but I'm constantly humbled at how God is concerned about even my smallest requests.
Psalm 37:4 has a renewed meaning of late. "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."
My husband may not be able to be declared a winner inside the ring anymore, but he'll always be a champion at home among me and our growing family.