There are many phrases we use regularly that I believe we misunderstand the meaning of. One such phrase is “throwing in the towel”. This phrase is common in our culture and music. We’re usually told not to throw in the towel. Throwing in the towel is presumed to be a negative thing—something to avoid at all costs. It’s believed to mean you’re giving up. People encourage us to not give up for any reason or under any circumstance.
I’m not suggesting we should give up or quit, I’m just suggesting we use a different metaphor. The term throwing in the towel comes from the sport of boxing. When a boxer is losing badly and his corner feels he can’t go on, they will throw in the towel as a signal for the referee to stop the fight.
The referee is supposed to know when a fight should be stopped, but they are not always aware. Sometimes the people who are supposed to protect you will let you get killed. We all need a “corner” to look out for us. I’m grateful for friends and family in my corner who come to my rescue when I can’t do anything for myself. A boxer can’t throw in the towel for himself. It has to come from the corner. A boxer doesn’t have a towel. All he has is his gloves (and they’re laced on). The act of throwing in the towel is always on behalf of someone else.
Spectators might want the fight to continue because they have money on it. They’re not concerned about what’s best for the boxer. Having a towel thrown in for you means you can live to fight another day. Throwing in the towel is an act of mercy. It means someone believes you’ve had enough. There’s nothing wrong with someone recognizing your breaking point. Every fight isn’t worth fighting. That doesn’t make you a quitter.
Some people will stand around and watch you die. I witnessed the aftermath of a bad car accident in which one of the cars was flipped on its roof. Instead of calling 911 or helping the victims, people started pulling out their cell phones and taking pictures and videos I presume to share on social media. I contend that we need more towel-throwers. We have enough shade-throwers. How about we raise up some more towel-throwers?
Jeremiah 38 tells the story of a man named Ebed-Melech who “threw in the towel” to save the life of the prophet Jeremiah. We can learn a great deal from his example as we look out for others. We may never know the impact of the lives we touch because we throw in the towel. The next time someone tells you not to throw in the towel, tell them, “I’m sorry, but I have to. There’s somebody who needs me. They’re in the fight of their life, and if I don’t, they may die.”
Carly Richards is on the run. For the last two years, she’s skipped from town to town, ducking her dangerous and well-informed ex-fiance every few weeks, never settling anywhere for long. With the death of her parents, Carly’s vulnerability made her trust a man with an attractive facade. Now that same man has tracked her across the country, always nipping at her heels, preventing her from reaching out to anyone other than her God. Now she’s in Montana, and surely that is far enough away from Texas and her abusive past that she can rest. But her emotional scars are reluctant to heal, and Carly resists the friendliness of those in the small town she lights upon, especially handsome farmer Joe Baird. Without a car and money though, she has little choice but to dig in and begin building back up her savings so she can run once more.
In her latest book, Ready To Pray, Gail Dudley shares the life lessons that the Lord has poured into her life through her spiritual journey with Him. Whether these were seasons of joy, seasons of sorrow, seasons of want or seasons of plenty, the Lord has been working in Gail’s life for many years, teaching her the disciplines of prayer and the power that comes through the life of someone who is obedient to calling on Him during all of life’s challenges.
The Choice That No Longer Haunts is about a young boy who is given permission by the Creator to come to Earth and confront the father who made the CHOICE to have an abortion. This narrative captures the imagination of the reader and culminates in the reality of God’s grace, and loving forgiveness. As a bonus, the story is told from a male’s perspective.
This book tells the true-life story of Teresa Ann Winton, who invites you to journey into the depths of her soul where a vulnerable and profoundly sad little girl once lived. Teresa’s unstable home left her exposed to abuse, poverty, and neglect. Foster care, a system meant to help the helpless, brought even more trauma and loss. But in spite of it all, Teresa forged ahead, refusing to succumb to despair.