Stumble part 2
There's a quote from the Rocky Balboa movie that I think really says what I'm trying to say in this Rant series: "You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!" See, we always judge ourselves so harshly. We are our own worst critics. Probably because every time we stumble and fall... we are right there. When we do the worst things we could possibly do... we are right there. We know what the worst things are, because we are doing them. But look at Proverbs 24:16, "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief." It's not about stumbling. It's about walking by faith. It's not about falling down. It's about getting back up. This life is hard. And this life is messy. But the only way to "win" is to show up. The hardest part about life... is living. But that's also the best part. Life is not a spectator sport. You get out of it what you put into it. As the old Beatles song says, "the love you take is equal to the love you make." Because love is giving. It's not about getting anything. It's about giving what you've got. Loving others as Jesus loves you. Receiving (which is completely different than taking) and releasing the gift you've been given. Sharing what you have. Giving what you've got by knowing what you've got. That's how winning is done. The only true failure is when you fail to keep trying. It doesn't matter if you make mistakes. It doesn't matter if things don't turn out the way you think they should. What matters is showing up. What matters is rolling with the punches. A quote from a good pastor friend of mine goes something like this, "A setback is just a set up for a comeback." And who doesn't love a good comeback story? Tough times don't last. But tough people do. So don't let things wreck you. And don't let YOU wreck you either. Check yourself before you wreck yourself. Ask yourself, "Is this worth getting upset over?" And, listen, some things are worth getting upset over. If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything. But if you get upset about everything... you'll always be upset. That's no way to live. Sometimes you have to just turn the other cheek. Sometimes you have to just let God (LOVE) hold you up. You can't fight every battle. And, really, the only one left is the good fight of faith. Jesus won the war to end all wars. The good fight of faith is simply laying hold of that gift that we've already been given. Receiving (and releasing) the truth that God is love and He loves us. That is what equips and empowers us to walk by faith. To stumble but not fall. And then, as we mature more and more, to not stumble at all. If love is the goal... it's attainable. Because God loves us. We love, because He first loved us. All we have to do is let Jesus be who He is in us, and through us, and as us. All we have to do is keep moving forward. Keep our eyes on the prize (which is Jesus, which is love, which is our true selves in the manifestation of maturity and perfection) and keep moving forward. And tomorrow we're going to look at why this is possible. Spoiler: Because we move FROM glory TO glory!