It’s Never Too Late to Get Back Up Again

Life can be full of ups and downs, but we cannot remember how important it is to get back up again.

When Chris and I were first dating, I started attending church with him.  In those early years of our relationship, we attended a Sunday school class taught by Webb Hall.  Some teachers stand out more than others, and Mr. Webb is one of those teachers. He was very knowledgeable about the Bible and could explain things in simple terms. Mr. Webb submitted this week’s verse from Joshua 7:10:  “The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Get up! Why have you fallen on your face?’ ”

There are so many times when we feel hopeless, defeated, or just down. For me, some of my most defeated moments were after losing loved ones.  At these low points, I try to remind myself that there is always someone worse off than me.  I also have to remember that what I think I see may not always be the truth.  With technology 24-7, there are so many times that what you see can be deceiving due to filters and special effects.  People rarely show you the messy and raw side of life.  It’s kind of like arguing on the way to church and everyone straightening their clothes and donning a smile on their face on the way into the building.

It was through these losses that I learned to turn toward God instead of away from him.  I’ve also learned that I have to do more than wait for him to provide.  Mr. Webb added that he felt we all need to hear this verse at some time or another in our lives.  He said, “We all lose our way at times and forget God’s guidance. We feel defeated. God tells us to get up and get back on track. He can dig you out of any situation, but He’s not going to do it while you lean on the shovel!”

I think we are like Joshua when we feel defeated. We may not be on our knees with our face in the dirt; however, we are still living in a woe-is-me state. Sometimes I think we treat our relationship with God as an either/or relationship.  We tell God what we want, and we expect him to lead us to one or the other of our desired paths.  We forget there may be a completely different path that God desires us to take.

Do you remember the game of hot potato?  The goal is to get rid of the potato as quickly as possible?  I remember how fast my heartbeat each time I saw the potato getting closer to me.  I did not want to be caught holding the hot potato when the music ended. Many times, we respond to defeat, trials, and tribulations with one extreme or the other. We withdraw and use a woe is me mindset, or we throw our problems to God like we’re playing a game of hot potato.  We want to wash our hands of our issues and expect him to fix it all.

It’s easy to forget that the most successful relationships are successful because both people agree to meet in the middle and use a give/take mentality. Any successful relationship is the sum of the parts.  We have to make our relationship with God a both/and relationship where we do our part in addition to letting God do his. What if we resolve to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and meet God in the middle for a both/and relationship? What if we start the process by putting our complete trust in him? Imagine what can happen if we invite God into our marriage, our family, our friendships, and our random encounters with strangers.  What if we extend our Sunday relationship with God to a Sunday-Saturday relationship?

I came across the lyrics to “Get Back Up” by Toby Mac, and although I can’t copy lyrics into my blog for copyright reasons, I can encourage you to check them out on your own at http://www.songlyrics.com/tobymac/get-back-up-lyrics.

No matter what happens, we have to get back up again and help others to do the same.  I pray that we strive for a both/and relationship and remember to give ourselves and others grace along the way.