Get up Quickly

In the 1984 Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria, Bonnie St. John became the first African American woman to win a silver and two bronze medals for downhill events. She shared how she was ahead but fell on ice before the finish line. Bonnie got up to finish the race. Because all the skiers fell in the same spot, she was still in the top running positions. Bonnie received the bronze medal even though she was faster than the gold medal winner. She later recounted that she realized that the gold winner simply got up faster than her to win the race.

In this Christian journey, we too are going to fall down. It doesn’t matter where we are in the faith—there’s a slippery slope for all of us due to our sinful nature. Just like Bonnie, it’s not that we don’t have what it takes to stay in the race, it’s more about how fast we get up. Many of us have fallen because of other people’s actions. It could be a divorce, a financial crisis, or a difficult boss. Some of us are suffering because of chronic illness or mental/emotional unbalance.

Whatever the crisis (spiritual, emotional, or physical), we have a Savior, Jesus Christ, Who upholds us when we fall. He gives us hope, strength, and the grace to keep going in the race—yet we have to decide if we are going to get up and keep going. It’s tempting to stay in bed all cuddled up in a ball, wishing for a different turnout of our lives. Yet the longer we remain in a paralyzed state of mind, we are wasting the precious and short time God has given us on earth.

God wants us to get up and trust in Him in spite of our fall. His glory is most apparent in our lives when we lean on His forgiveness and hope for our future.

Prayer

Dear Lord, You are my hope when I fall. I pray for Your grace and strength to press forward so that I get up faster to win the prize from You. Amen.

In His Service,

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