When Life Knocks You Down

 Nobody goes through life without getting knocked down a few times. Financial reversals hit. A simple medical test reveals some potential problems that require further testing. Relationships fail when someone you loved walks out. Companies downsize and you're no longer needed. Sometimes it seems like we get knocked down by one thing, and by the time we get back up, something else knocks us off our feet. I know I've been knocked down more than once. But, there is something else I know.

God has always been there to help pick me up. Sometimes I stayed down longer than necessary, but that was a choice I made. There's been times I was ready to give up, but He wouldn't let me. I'm thankful for that. A passage of Scripture has become my personal mantra. Jesus said, "I'll never leave you nor forsake you." I have repeated that to myself many, many times when I've been going through difficult times. Believing that to be true has been the one thing that has brought me through some tough times.

I recently read about a one-legged skier competing in the Paralympics. She was competing against another one-legged skier who fell down during her run. The second skier was confident she would win until she also fell. The other person took the gold. When the silver medalist was told the other person was a faster skier she responded, "No. She just got up faster than I did."

Victory in life comes to those who get up quickly when they get knocked down. It's easy to have a pity party when life knocks you down, but that doesn't gain a person anything. Few people want to come to your pity party, but when you get back up and continue to live life to the fullest, people will cheer.

Three things have helped me when I've been knocked down. One, is the promise I mentioned earlier. I know God will never abandon me. The second thing is the church. Some people today think the church is irrelevant, but I have found in my seven decades of life that it is one of the most relevant things I've ever known. The third is my wife of almost 58 years. She has been my greatest cheerleader.

I would love to tell you how God can help when life knocks you down. Contact me.