At 18 years old our son had his first MMA cage fight coming up. I remember friends and family were very concerned not only for him, but how I was doing, as his Mom, with this upcoming fight. How on earth could I let my “baby” get into a cage and fight? How could I handle the pressure; the fear? What if this? What if that?
Was I afraid? How was I handling the pressure, and really the fear of injury or him getting hurt? MMA, Mixed Martial Arts, is man on man punching, kicking, and submission holds; its intense!
At one point during the fight the other guy gave a kick to Cade’s face as he Cade was standing up – appearing like it landed but it barely missed him!
At another point the guy had Cade’s neck in a tight choke hold as Cade took a shot to take him down. Cade lifted the guys whole weight up and slammed him until he broke free!
Cade had the other guy in a tight triangle choke with his legs but with the oil he couldn’t get the tapout.
This sport isn’t for the faint of heart! I think it’s human nature to have concern when your child walks into an extreme sport or situation. I knew I needed to face any fears or doubts if I wanted to be able to withstand and enjoy watching my son compete. So I faced it. I thought about the facts. I thought about the risks. I knew I needed clarity.
So I decided to face the facts.
- Cade’s coaches were the best of the best, a UFC gym with UFC fighters.
- It was something that he wanted to challenge himself with and use the skills he had learned. He rose to the challenge with courage.
- We raised a respectful, responsible, and intelligent young man, and at some age (18) we need to allow him to make his own decisions.
- He was moving forward putting his whole heart into something he enjoyed and made him happy.
- Perhaps the most important point of all… I do not number the days of my son, myself or anyone else. God holds the ultimate time clock for each of us and I believe and trust that as much as I love my son, God loves him and has his best interest even more!
Its hard to convey the amount of peace I had at this event. Driving there I had praise music on and was worshipping the Lord. I was so peace-filled that I was barely excited. I just felt relaxed. Calm. And it wasn’t that I was assured that he would win or wouldn’t get injured. I just had the unexplainable peace of God! And I know this peace came from trust.
Our time on earth is brief; the number of our days is already decided by you.
Job 14:5
I knew that Cade could be taken anytime anywhere, and I still wouldn’t be in charge. It wouldn’t do me any good to worry about something I had not control over. I trusted God to be God.
Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 GWT
So many people came out to cheer Cade on! It was an exhilarating experience to say the least!
A life of strength doesn’t mean you have it all together, it means you know who is holding it all together.
Unknown
The end of the story…
Cade won by rear naked choke! It was one of the most intense and exciting fights I’ve ever watched! It was such a blessing to cheer him on to a win, but even greater to experience God’s peace in such a crazy, potentially fear inducing event! What a great night to witness my son’s courage, determination, commitment, and strength!
I haven’t experienced that degree of God’s peace before that evening nor since. It was truly amazing! Worthy of Praise!
If you have the stomach for it – Cade’s fight video follows this video. Enjoy!
