Keep Getting Up!
I don’t know about you, but 2020 has been a year that seems to be relentless with the punches. Both personally and generally speaking. I’m not going to get into all of it. You’re living through this year as well LOL! Regardless of what has happened, I want to offer a bit of encouragement for you today.
A few weeks ago, I wrote a devotional talking about running the race and running it with perseverance. I discussed running the race set before each of us and not running somebody else’s race.
Today I want to focus on the word RUN.
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners RUN, but only one gets the prize? RUN in such a way as to get the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24)
Obviously not everyone can come in first place, but we need to run the race with the intent of winning.
You can’t WIN the race if you aren’t IN the race. I love this quote from my friend. A righteous person is not the person who has it all together, but a righteous person is the one who keeps getting up. They keep running. You cannot win if you do not run.
Proverbs 24:16 tells us that “though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again…” I am always reminded of this verse when I see the movie Rocky.
Now, I’m not a really big movie guy, but there are certain movies I really like. More precisely, there are certain moments in specific movies that I like. For me, a great movie speech is in one of the newer Rocky movies when he is talking to his son.
This is what he says:
“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are. It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya get hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward.”
So, if you want to win the race, keep getting up. You have to finish to win. When the hits come, and they will, be determined before you get hit that you will get up and keep running. It will not be easy and you will need help. There may be days where you have to get up multiple times. Keep getting up! There may be seasons where you are not having to pick yourself up that often. Keep getting up! There may be seasons where it seems all you are doing is picking yourself up off the ground. Keep getting up!
Do not try to run the race on your own. You were not meant to run on your own. You were made to be in community with others that are running the race. Get in a Life Group: a community of believers, that you can lean on. Call them for help. Do not be afraid to ask for help when needed. And if you are the one being asked for help, do not judge, just help. I promise you, there will be a day when you will be the one calling for help.
God never promised the race would be easy, but He did promise He would be there with you every step of the way and would always provide a way for you to finish. You just need to keep getting up and stay in the race. Whatever you have faced this year, keep getting up, keep running, finish. You can do it!
Love you all and praying for you today!
Tim Fus
Pastor of Worship Ministries