I can’t help but look up and thank God for his mercy and love towards me. First He gifted me the perfect wife, and now he gifts me with a new life quickly growing in her belly.

One of my favorite quotes is by boxer Joe Frazier. He said:

“You can map out a fight plan or a life plan, but when the action starts, it may not go the way you planned, and you’re down to your reflexes – that means your training. That’s where your roadwork shows. If you cheated on that in the dark of the morning, well, you’re going to get found out now, under the bright lights.”

I have used this as inspiration for my professional life and personal accomplishments. It wasn’t until this weekend I realized that this also applies to our spiritual life. My brother asked me “are you guys ready for the baby?” I confidently said “yes.” Sarah and I have been training to hit the rounds of parenthood.

We both constantly train to strengthen our marriage. We practice kindness and compassion towards each other and the world.  In order to be strong parents, we must have a healthy marriage. Not a perfect one per world standards, but a biblically healthy and strong marriage.

We have surrounded ourselves with model parents and their kids. We have learned from them how to communicate, mold and discipline kids. Watching eighteen 2-3 year old kids on a Friday night (during church) is no sweat for us!

So are we ready to be parents? Of course not, parenting will be a new school for us.  Our training will be constant and devoted, our love will be patient and kind, and our commitment will be unmovable.

I thank God for my rocking wife and our future baby. I will pour my heart and soul to constantly train to be a great husband and now to be a great dad. I will not cheat on my training in the dark of the morning, I will focus on strengthening our family.

There is never enough preparation for anything we do, after all Mohammed Ali (the best boxer of all time) once said,

“Champions are not made in the ring, they are just recognized there.“