It was a nice Sunday afternoon in December just weeks before Christmas where the sun was brightly shining and the Christmas lights from the surrounding houses brought joy to every onlooker. Christmas was clearly in the air as we rode our bikes down each street where we witnessed the reindeers glistening ever so brightly, the snowflakes falling and the red and green lights dancing from house to house on our Sunday afternoon bike ride when without warning, my son fell off his bike landing on his shoulder and visibly shaken. Me being me, I quickly jumped off my bike in an effort to FIX everything, to pick him up, wipe his tears, dust him off and in all likelihood take him back home to tend to his scratches. But little did I know, I was about to be reminded of something so profound that every now and then, it takes something happening without warning to put everything in its proper perspective. What I saw was my son on the ground, scratched up, shaken and tearful, what my son felt was fear and pain but what God saw … was a reminder that we hit bumps in the road both literally and figuratively; and He wants to know how we will respond when those situations arise!
While he lay there on the hot concrete with his legs wrapped around his bike and tears beginning to form in his eyes, he was encouraged to GET UP.. While I’m certain that every fiber of his being wanted to either lay there and cry or wanted mommy to come to the rescue pick him up, huh him every so tightly and wipe the tears from his eyes. His daddy encouraged him to get up and shake it off. He was asked a series of questions; “are you ok?, “what happened?”, “did you hurt yourself (other than the visible scraped knee?, “do you want to turn around and go home?” All of to which he said no.. But when asked again what happened; he replied,” I don’t know, I think I was driving too close to the grass that a hit a hole and loss my balance. He was then taught a very valuable lesson… in life you will fail and you will fall but you have to get up brush yourself off and try again.
From the outside one sees a fallen injured child; shaken and in all likelihood if he didn’t feel like he would disappoint his parents by wanting to turn around and go home but he brushed himself off and pressed his way through.
Our lives are very much the same, no one is exempt from falling down. We will fall, we will fail, we will be told no, we will be talked about and counted out but the true test is how will you respond?
Will you lay down and wallow in guilt and self pity or will you get up and fight? The truth is life can give you the illusion that it’s easier to lay down and resist the fight then it is to get back up and persevere despite the obstacles!
From watching an eight-year-old, I was reminded that life simply happens. I am going to make mistakes but the good news is that God not only affords us an opportunity to improve but He also extends grace and mercy. I want you to be reminded everyday that God is a God of chances. Stop beating yourself up over mistakes that you’ve made and begin the process of growing. True growth comes from learning from you mistakes! When you find yourself heading for a brick wall, will you find an alternate route or succumb to your injuries? Situations will present themselves daily that sometimes cause you to not just second guess yourself but cause you to wonder if God is even hearing your prayers. Rest in the confidence that God is with you every step of the way and He hears your prayers; most times you merely have to put your faith to work!
GET BACK UP!
