We have all heard the apparently encouraging phrases that we are supposed to live by when life kicks us hard, you know the ones I mean.
“If you get knocked down seven times, get up eight times.”
“What defines us is how well we rise again after falling.”
“Turn a setback into a comeback!”
And of course who could forget the famous song from Chumbawamba, ‘Tubthumping’, that reached the dizzy heights of number 2 in the UK singles chart.
“I get knocked down. But I get up again. You’re never going to keep me down”
None of us goes through life without getting knocked down at some point, whether it be redundancy, money or health issues, family troubles or much more simpler things like planning events for guys and no one turns up. No matter what it is that kicks right in the gut and sends us to our knees the above inspirational quotes or even the rousing Chumbawamba song don’t really help you get back up, at worst they can push you further down.
Following Jesus isn’t a calling to an easy life, or one without troubles. It hits our wallets, our time and our commitments. We’re going to stand out and at times be ridiculed for what we believe.
Jesus warned us in John 16:33 that we would have trouble in this life and in Matthew 16:24-26 he commanded us to take up our cross daily and follow him. So it’s clear that troubles and knockdowns are ahead of us.
When I am knocked don by any situation, big or small, there is only one place I turn and that’s God’s Word. The Bible is full of inspiration and promises from God that help me get back to my feet. Whether it be stories about great men and women of faith rising up again after a fall or declarations straight from God himself, they are much better than any inspirational quotes or rousing songs for giving me the confidence to stand once again and have another go for Jesus.
The confines of this blog don’t allow me to share all of God’s promises in His Word but let me finish by sharing just one that has been a source of inspiration and encouragement to me in times when I have been down but not out.
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12
You see the enemy wants to shake your faith but God wants to stir it up.
Image Credit: Laura Lefurgey-Smith
