Rally Cap part 1
I want to spend the next few days just really encouraging people. Because, as Rocky Balboa said, "Nobody hits harder than life." We all get knocked down sometimes. But my key verse for this Rant series is Proverbs 24:16, "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief." Its not about how hard you can hit. Its about how hard you can GET hit and keep moving forward (more Rocky there). And I'm calling this series "Rally Cap" because in sports, when your team is losing, you do everything you can to try to help them win. Including turning your cap inside out. I know it sounds silly, but its really just the act of DOING something to try to help. And I think the world needs more of that. More not caring what people think and more doing whatever it takes to help someone up when they're down. Because the just man rises up every time he falls... but its a lot easier TO rise when someone reaches down and lends you a hand. Its not good that man should be alone, right? No man is an island. We can't do it all ourselves. We're all in this together. So instead of kicking someone when they're down, or crossing to the other side of the street in order to avoid getting tangled up in their problems... we need to start rooting for people. Helping people. Let me throw another memory verse at you. "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). The law of Christ, which is the perfect law of liberty, which says, "Love one another as Jesus loves you." Jesus loved us (on the cross) by giving His life for us, and to us. And He loves us every second of every day by being there for us. He swore He would never leave us nor forsake us. Not when we're at our worst. Not when we're going through stuff. In truth, those times are when we need Him the most. When we need LOVE the most. And even though its popular to say, "God works in mysterious ways," I believe He works through people. Which CAN be mysterious. But I think God reveals Himself--His LOVE--in, and through, and as... people. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us before the cross. Then, through the cross, the Word took up abode inside us. So the Word is made flesh (in us) every time we act in love (and let what's inside come out). And love is never about getting. Because love IS giving. Bearing other people's burdens. Seeing a need and meeting it. Rooting for people. Helping them up when they fall. Helping them get even higher than they thought possible. Edifying people. Giving them everything you have and everything you are. Not so that they'll give YOU anything, but because you want THEM to have what you've got. One of my favorite song lyrics: "What you got if you ain't got love? The kind that you just want to give away..." So put your rally cap on. Get on other people's teams. Root for them. And if they fall... help them up. We all get knocked down in life. Which means we all need someone to help us up sometimes.