Today I’m re-posting an excerpt from theologian Chad Bird about George Foreman, posted March 22 on Facebook, the day after the professional boxer died.
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George Foreman grew up hungry and angry. To hide his poverty, he carried an empty lunch bag to school. His fists became his outlet, first in the streets, then in the boxing ring. Undefeated, he seemed unstoppable.
In 1974, Muhammad Ali challenged him for the championship. At 25, Foreman was seven years younger and the clear favorite. But round after round, Ali absorbed his blows, taunting him. Foreman weakened. In the eighth round, Ali’s right hand sent him tumbling. He rose at the count of nine, but the fight was over. Ali was the champion.
Three years later, Foreman fought Jimmy Young for a chance to reclaim his title. The fight was close, but in the ninth round, Young knocked him to his knees. The judges ruled against Foreman. It was a deeper defeat than before.
Alone in the locker room, he paced in a daze, convinced he was dying. He later recalled, “I could literally smell death in the room.” Desperate, he prayed. Suddenly, he collapsed into darkness. Then, in that emptiness, he thought, “I don’t care if this is death. I still believe there’s a God.” At that moment, he felt a “gigantic hand” reach for him. He jumped up, shouting, “Jesus Christ has come alive in me! I got to save the world!”
Foreman left boxing to become a pastor, devoting himself to helping youth. Looking back, he said his life had been “turned upside down.” His early victories, once his pride, now felt hollow. Failure, though painful, had been a gift. It shattered his old ambitions and led him to something better.
We resist failure, wanting to “return to sender” what God hands us. But had Foreman never lost, he’d never have seen what truly matters. Failure redirects us, forcing us onto a path where God reshapes our priorities. The world applauds success, but the Christian life is an “upside-down” one, where losing to the world means gaining something far greater. To fail by worldly standards is, in the end, to succeed in the only way that matters.
– Revised from Chad Bird’s book, Upside-Down Spirituality: The 9 Essential Failures of a Faithful Life (https://a.co/d/73w6NuY).
PRAYER: God, when I resist failure, I confess that you may just be redirecting me to something more, or to become a better version of myself. As the world applauds success, grant me the faith to accept defeat and difficulty as your painful gifts. Amen.
THIS VERSE: “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25).
