Get back up

Get back up

"For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you." Isaiah 46:13

At one point in our lives, we will all fall down.  And obviously the harder the fall, the more it hurts.  As a trail runner, I have taken my share of tumbles.  While I can't say that I enjoyed them, they have taught me a valuable lesson-falls are essential to building faith.  The more we fall, the more times we experience God's saving grace in our lives. Most times that's not a physical fall either.  We all tend to overestimate our abilities apart from Christ forgetting that "apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5. Wow, are we ever destined to fail with that attitude?

While participating in a trail run Saturday, I was really enjoying the peace and solitude of the woods.  I had on my praise music and was lost in worship taking my eyes off the ground and path in front of me.  And in just a matter of a split second, down I went.   I immediately got up, assessed the damage, praised the Lord that it wasn't bad and kept running.  You see I have fallen so many times in my life (and I'm not just talking about my running) and been down so low that I couldn't see the way out more times than I would care to count.  Each time God lifted me up-out of depression, despair and hopelessness.  So many times that it has now become second nature to know that He is there.  

The point is, so many people fall the first time and never get back up again-never experiencing His saving grace.  They either fail to ask for God's help or don't wait for His perfect timing and give up not believing that they are worthy of saving.  It's in our falls, faults and failures that our faith is secured.   He loves you.  He really does. Matthew 18:12-14 tells us that, "“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish."

Its okay to fall.  In fact you should expect to.  But don't stay down!!! Get up and get moving.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Your saving grace in our lives.  Help us to look to you when we fall and to rely on your strength for every situation.  May we use Your Word as our life guide to help us avoid potholes and stumbling blocks on our journey.  In your precious name we pray Jesus, Amen.  

Happy Running!!!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX5OqyBYKh4
You may be knocked down but not out forever.-Toby Mac