Fight One More Round
Have you ever had one of those weeks — or seasons — where life felt like it hit you straight in the gut?
Not just one sharp blow…but the kind that keeps coming.
Sometimes it’s sudden — a loss, a diagnosis, a phone call you never expected. Other times, it’s slower. Heavier. The kind of season that wears you down quietly, day after day.
And you’re still showing up. Still praying. Still believing.
But deep down, you’re thinking:
“Lord, I don’t know if I have anything left to give. I’m tired. I just want to go back to bed…”
Recently, I read an inspirational story about a boxer in the 1800's by the name of, Gentleman Jim Corbett. He wasn't just a fighter in the sense of the sport. Jim Corbett went up against an undefeated heavyweight boxing champion at the time— and won against all odds. HE WON Y'ALL. Not because he was the strongest. Not because he had the best odds. Because he refused to stop fighting.
His mantra was simple: “Fight one more round.”
And honestly, when reading his story, it occurred to me that it spoke to me because I watched it lived out in front of me.
I watched it in my mother.
Before online degrees.
Before hybrid schedules.
Before “work–life balance” became a thing...
My mom was a single mother of three — working all day, then taking the NYC subway late into the evenings to attend school. It wasn’t convenient. It wasn’t easy. But she kept going anyway, refusing to quit on the future she believed God had for her and her family.
And even now — more than 32 years later — she’s still fighting.
She has spent nearly a decade advocating for my Nono — her husband, my bonus dad — to receive the Veterans benefits he earned and deserves. Paperwork. Appeals. Silence. Delays.
And yet, as I write this, she’s writing another letter — this time to Congress.
Talk about refusing to take no for an answer.
That’s fighting one more round.
And then there’s my Ma — my bonus mom.
The woman who taught me the practical art of making rice…and the sacred art of perseverance.
After my father passed last year, I watched her grieve deeply. At the same time, she was recovering from hip surgery — and walking was already difficult.
Within months, the pain compounded.
Movement became harder.
Her world grew smaller.
Eventually, she was nearly bedridden.
She was exhausted.
She was discouraged.
She was done.
But God — in His mercy — sent an angel of a friend who stepped in and said, “You can’t stay here like this.”
That friend helped remove her from her home and place her into rehab.
And y’all… within less than three months, rehab had her walking again!
Her strength returned.
Her focus came back.
Her spark reignited.
Ma was back.
She didn’t win because the road was easy.
She won because she didn’t stop when she wanted to.
She fought one more round.
And that’s when this phrase began to settle in my spirit.
Because even though we may not be in a boxing ring, life has a way of making you feel like you are.
Some rounds look like:
- heartbreak you didn’t expect
- disappointments you didn’t deserve
- setbacks that keep repeating
- relationship strain
- mental exhaustion
- grief that lingers
- financial pressure
- spiritual warfare that whispers you’re alone
And one of the enemy’s favorite strategies isn’t to destroy you in one hit.
It’s to wear you down until you start thinking:
“Maybe I should just quit.”
“Maybe God isn’t going to come through.”
“Maybe this is just my life now.”
But the Word of God says otherwise.
Because we don’t serve a small God.
We serve a God who:
- restores what’s broken
- revives what’s weary
- heals what looks impossible
- rebuilds what was lost
- and strengthens what’s been crushed
He can.
He can.
He WILL.
And here’s the part that always humbles me most:
God doesn’t need perfect faith — He just needs willing faith.
“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed… nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)
That means even if your faith is trembling…
Even if you’re believing through tears…
Even if you’re whispering prayers because you don’t have the energy to shout…
It counts. God sees it. And I’ve watched Him do it.
I’ve watched grace restore the people around me — and most times all I did was pray.
From my mom…
to my stepmother…
to myself…
I could go on and on telling the testimonies of what followed because of the power of prayer.
And that’s why I’m writing this to you today.
Not to hype you up emotionally for a moment —but to encourage you to seek His promise to grant you strength within your spirit for the week ahead.
If you’re in a hard season, don’t quit.
Fight one more round.
Because sometimes the miracle isn’t in the first round.
Or the third.
Or the fifth.
Sometimes the breakthrough is waiting in “one more.”
💛 3 Faith Reminders for Your Next Round
1) God is not intimidated by what intimidates you.
That thing you’re facing? God has already seen it — and He’s already made provision.
“With God, all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)
2) Your weakness is not disqualification — it’s an invitation.
God doesn’t require you to be strong before He helps you. He supplies strength when you’ve run out.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)
3) If you’re still here, God is still working.
Your story isn’t over. And the fact that you’re reading this right now is proof: The fight isn’t finished.
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…” (Philippians 1:6)
Gentle Reminder
You don’t have to fight with your own strength.
You’re not called to white-knuckle your way through life.
You’re called to lean on the One who cannot lose.
So if today all you can do is pray one messy prayer…
If all you can do is get up and try again…
If all you can do is worship through the weight…
Let that be your one more round.
God honors perseverance. And He meets mustard-seed faith with mountain-moving power.
🙏 Let’s Pray
Heavenly Father, Thank You for being a God who strengthens the weary and restores the broken. For the woman reading this who feels tired, defeated, or discouraged, breathe fresh strength into her spirit right now. Remind her that You are with her in this fight — and that she is never fighting alone. Teach her to rely on Your power, not her own. Give her the faith to fight one more round, and the peace to trust that You’re working even when she can’t see it. We trust You, Lord — because You have never failed us yet. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
In Love and Christ,
Dorene Elizabeth
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