Broken Down

Tonight in class I made a huge mistake. There are all sorts of different ways to fall in wrestling and tonight we were practicing some of those falls. There's the "back bump" where you essentially just fall backwards, the "flip bump" where you do a front flip and land on your back, and also one called the "handstand bump". The handstand bump is the bane of my existence (pun intended).

In the "handstand bump" you do a handstand and then kick your legs so that you again flip over and land on your back. Tonight, I seriously screwed up on a handstand bump. I did the handstand fine, but when I went to kick my legs, I missed the flip and released my hands. This meant that I fell straight downward, landing on my neck. Immediately, all my classmates said, "Ooooooooooooh. Stu, are you okay?" I lie there for just a second in my shame, but also seeing if I actually was okay. I sat up and gave a thumbs up sign - meaning I was okay.

It hurt. My pride and my body were both broken, but I finished out class strong and didn't give up.

Our spiritual lives will take hits a lot of times. There will be disappointing situations, sins that keep coming back, addictions, deaths, broken hearts, people who let us down, and all sorts of other negativity. But what we can know for sure is that no matter how many times we get knocked down, we can always get back up. No matter how many times we are disappointed, there is always hope. And no matter how many times we mess up, there is always grace.

Believe in that. If you've been beaten down lately. Whether it was a minor injury or a completely debilitating incident, know that God is right there with you, ready to put you back on your feet.

You can always give a thumbs up, no matter the situation.

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT)

Till next time,
Peace and much love.