Get Up Again…
September 4, 2019
Good morning!
So, I’ve got a confession. I have been so busy and distracted these past couple of weeks that I have not spent time with God like I should. I didn’t forget Him—we conversed. I read a couple of scriptures here and there. I worshiped as I worked. But I hadn’t spent QUALITY time with Him.
It’s like not hanging out with your best friend for weeks even though you really miss them. You see their post on Facebook and you “like it” or “love it” and then keep going. You shoot a text: “We need to get together sometime,” and then realize it’s been a long time. Well this is me and my relationship with Him lately.
So now, here I am sitting down with my Bible in hand feeling guilty and frustrated—yet, determined—I WILL seek Him first today. It really helped that as I became consciously aware that I was awake this morning the Holy Spirit was urging me, “Get up, Girl, it’s ‘us’ time.” Though my body ached and my laziness screamed at me, I drug my self out of bed. Here I am now, sitting on the couch, ready.
Before I tell you about the big revelation that God woke me up to give me, I want to back up a bit to those feelings of guilt and frustration that we experience sometimes in our walk with God, when we realize we’ve dropped the ball or lost our mind. Think for a minute about what causes you to feel that way but don’t stay there too long…I’m going somewhere with this. Maybe you thought about the embarrassment you felt after letting your anger get the best of you at work with a coworker. Maybe you thought about that moment you yelled at your kid when you were exhausted and emotionally drained. Maybe you thought about wanting to run over the lady in Walmart with your shopping cart because she keeps getting in your way. What? You mean that’s never happened to you? (This would be a great place for an emoji with the big eyes!) All of these examples probably happened because of the lack of God-time—just saying. So the feelings…you remember them right?
Here’s my own scenario that God brought to my mind this morning…He had recently given me a goal to meet by a certain time and—well, I didn’t meet it. My excuses for not meeting that goal were lack of knowledge and lack of time…and, and…you get my drift. Plenty of excuses! But if I’m honest with myself and Him, it was nothing but fear. Fear sure is a booger, isn’t it? The greater issue was lack of faith— and I know it. I was afraid, and so I stalled, missing my deadline. I felt like I had missed the deadline blowing everything—EVERYTHING! The idea of disappointing God was overwhelming. The self-condemnation was for real. I had completely given up on the possibilities. Now, I hadn’t given up on my relationship with God but I had fallen down (in my mind) and I didn’t think I could get up. I felt disqualified and that I’d never see the possibilities God had whispered about in our quiet time. I felt that I would now somehow have to settle for ordinary—but it was with a very disappointed heart. I had given up on me.
But let me tell you about God. He doesn’t give up on us. The days of our lives are written in a book before we were born (Psalm 139:16). He wasn’t a bit surprised by my failure. And He’s not limited by my failure. Now, realizing it, I’m overwhelmed in a different way. I’m overwhelmed by His grace and kindness towards me. His goodness towards me that leads me to repentance (Romans 2:4).
I kinda laughed when I read Romans 2:4 in the New Living Translation. It says, “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, TOLERANT, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?” (Emphasis of “tolerant” was mine.) . One of the definitions of tolerant was putting up with people . God is tolerant of me in so many ways and for so many occasions and yet He shows me kindness again and again.
And then there’s this morning: God wakes me up and tells me it’s “us” time. He sits me on my couch weary-eyed, yet determined, feeling guilty but making a come back, and shows me another verse as I’m reading in Proverbs. I had previously read it before and even high-lighted it, but this time (in my imagination) it jumped up and poked me in the face. (I know that sounds odd but I’m weird-and I own it, LOL.) God said, “Look here.”
Proverbs 24:16a NLT
The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again….
Let me type that again using my own emphasis:
The godly may trip seven times, but they WILL get up again…
Why did I emphasize “will?” Because it’s a declaration of God’s own Word that He doesn’t intend to let us stay down when we’ve fallen. We will get up again. And notice that word “godly”. To me, I hear God saying, because you’re mine…because of your relationship with Me, because I am your Help (Psalms 46:1) …You will get up again.
This reminded me of another verse that’s kind of a “mantra” verse for me when it comes to stepping out in faith to do something scary… which apparently I had forgotten in my above mentioned situation. The verse is found in Psalm 37:24. I particularly like the NKJV because it’s how I learned it when I was a teenager. The verse says:
“Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.”
Isn’t it beautiful! “Though he fall” not ‘if’ but though—like it’s gonna happen…He knows we’re gonna mess up sometimes. “He shall not be UTTERLY cast down….” First of all, utterly looks weird in all caps. Second of all, just the word itself gives a picture of being completely down—destroyed, done. But we shall not be….because why? “The Lord upholds him with His hand.” I shall not be…Why? Because God upholds me with His hand. You shall not be…because God upholds you with His hand. Even when we feel like we’ve fallen—we can look up and realize He’s still got us. When I saw that the hand of God had me, I found courage to get up and try again. This time—holding tightly to Him.
Smile. Breathe. Trust. God never declares a promise He doesn’t intend to keep. His promise is to hold our hand so that we’re not utterly cast down when we trip and fall. He will hold us up. So, get up, Girl! He’s got you! His tender-loving mercy has got you.
