Over the weekend, my daughter and her husband and I went to a fall petting zoo. The grounds had a bunch of other stuff to do too. One of them happened to be riding a mechanical bull. I was game. How hard is it to stay on the bull? I did it twice before and could do it again. Plus, my son-in-love was going to do it too. I Wasn't going to have him show me up. I made him go first, just so he could show off a little bit for my daughter and feel like he was a bigshot for a moment. He did pretty good. stayed on longer than I thought. I was impressed. Then it was my turn. First off, I had to get on the bull. I had wished people would have closed their eyes for me. but they didn't and I am sure they had comments they did not utter, but, kept to themselves. The first time the bull started spinning I was thrown off in eleven seconds of the video starting. The guy said, "you have to do it again" I am not sure why I said yes and threw my body over that bull one more time. This time the bull went faster, and I fell off at fifteen seconds of the video and made a total ass out of myself by swearing and barely being able to walk over to my shoes. The walk to my car wasn't a pleasant one and the morning after I had to roll out of bed. I forgot that I had done this before in my mid-thirties, thinner and younger and my bones were better for the fall. I didn't stay on the bull very long, but long enough to give me a life lesson. Plus, long enough to show my son- in- love he had me all along I was just too prideful to admit.
Proverbs 24:16-The righteous falls seven time and rises again, but the wicked stumbles in times of calamity
This verse came to my mind when the guy told me to get back up on the bull. I thought, why not? it's not the falling down that matters but, that I got back up. Life is like that. life will knock the life right out of you, and the only chose we have is to get back on and ride again.
This hurricane season has thrown all of us around in the south. I have gone without electric for six days and the rain. Let's talk about all this rain. Some places in the south have experienced devastation. Homes have been lost and towns have been washed away. The rain took out roads and the flooding has caused people to leave their homes and stay away for weeks until the water subsides. I am reminded of this verse above, that we all must get up from our fall and rebuild again.
I received a "go fund me" letter for a very special person that is fighting for her life waiting on a liver to be found for her. She has been fighting this disease since, she was sixteen years old. Her body is starting to shut down and in such need for a liver. Every time I get a chance to speak to her or text her, you can hear the weariness of all of this but, she keeps fighting. she has the will to live and keeps giving this disease a run for its money. This precious girl is the mother of my grandson, Isaac. every time I think of her, I also think of this verse above. Doesn't matter how many times life tries to take you out, its matters how many times you say, not today
This past Monday, I received my pink slip from Nielsen, whom I have worked for nine years, I have given my all to this job and have had some amazing moments these past years. I knew my heart was weary with all the changes in the company and my numbers were not where they should be, I knew the time was coming. Just didn't know when. I knew I use to be a high performer but, it just wasn't happening where I was anymore. I had fallen and I didn't know how to get back up. Maybe I really did get up by being removed so other doors can open. I am not staying down but, moving on. This whole experience has kept my eyes on this above verse. Fall seven times but, get up!
This past week, one of my dearest friends had to say "goodbye" to their beautiful daughter, that was twenty-one years old, she passed away from an asthma attack. I don't even have words to describe the sorrow that we all have from this tragic death of a girl, who was doing life her way and is no longer with us. The Bible verse doesn't tell us how long it could take to get up again and doesn't even tell us how broken we will be when we get back up. I have no words right now for my dear friend. I can't imagine, as this is their second daughter that has passed away before their time, they say a child is never supposed to die before their parents, so how do you move on from something like this twice? How do you get up and live again? The only way of getting up is the grace of God himself. So, they will rise
This verse has a powerful message for all of us. A message of hope, when we are ready to see it. The verse shows us that in life we will fall. In falling we will be bruised and broken. The fall may knock the wind right out of us. We may experience some scars from the fall. I am reminded of the story of Moses, when he was watching over a battle, he was getting weary and every time he dropped his staff the battle was being lost. but when he held it up the battle was being won. His friends saw his struggle and held up the staff for him. It's not about the falling that matters, it's about the getting up and not giving up. When we go through the valley of life, God wants us to see the goal of the mountaintop. he wants us to see the determination of not giving up. How many of us have falling and felt like we couldn't get up? We are asked to try and put weight on something and when we do, we may walk with a limp or need help, we just knew we couldn't stay on the ground forever, we must rise and walk again. Defeat can make you feel that way also, just leave me here, then something inside you says,"ugh get me up, let's do it again" never about the falling, but always about the getting back up. I know on many death beds people are full of regret, when they know they gave up on something. They wish they had one more chance to get it right, do it right, fight for it, and try again.
I love the fact that God doesn't count the falling but rejoices in the getting up part. I love how he shows us his grace in our fallen moments of life. How he picks us up and we rise again. I love how every fall isn't failure but, a new beginning in life. Falling just leads us in a new direction. When we rise from the fall, we can go a different direction and see new possibilities we have been given. Allow yourself the time that is needed when you have fallen, just know you will need to get up and rise again. If you need help like Moses did, find your tribe to rise beside you.
Don't ever think getting up, that you haven't been changed. You may look different, you may walk different, you may feel different, you may have different eyes to see the world. You may have been bruised in the fall and scarred after the healing took place. You have been changed and that is okay. Change is good, sometimes but, it's always a story to be told. that is the midst of the rubble, you chose to rise.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but if you didn’t get back up you wouldn’t have known you could finish the fight
3 comments
I don’t feel like I’m falling down. So many around me are and they just don’t seem to have the will to get back up or even the fight to get up. It’s both heartbreaking and maddening.
I keep trying to lift them up…I pray, I encourage, I love, I get angry…. Some avoid me now, some demand more, some in denial and want to just argue. Nothing seems to help or even make an impact anymore. I will keep trying, loving, praying, helping, crying, threatening … as long as I have breath, I will keep getting up
Love this. I have a grandson who is like the energizer bunny, with the addiction problem. He never gives up. I’ve never seen anyone like him. It used to take time in rehab, to which he took himself to, willingly. If he falls now .. hasn’t in a long time .. he gets back up shortly and keeps on going. I want him to read this.
Bambi, you are so talented and have such compassion Love you my friend