“It ain’t about how hard you’re hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward – how much you can take, and keep moving forward!”. In the scene from Rocky Balboa from which this kinetic typography was inspired, Rocky expounds on some of the difficulites his son will face in life, and encourages his son to stop making excuses for his life and start making some changes.
As Christians, we were not promised an easy life, but we were assured we would never be alone. We were guaranteed an eternal life in His Presence. After Jesus was resurrected, He told the disciples that it was good that He (Jesus) is leaving because only then could He send them the Comforter who would dwell with them always. The Holy Spirit would empower them (and us) to continue His mission on Earth. He would be our Helper and our internal witness that we are the sons and daughters of God.
We need the Holy Spirit to give us the power to be witnesses of Jesus’ goodness and grace. We need the Holy Spirit to help us live a holy life in an unholy world. We need the Holy Spirit to encourage us to get back up when we stumble, fall, fail, second guess ourselves, or feel disheartened.
More powerful than a pep talk from Rocky Balboa, is a pep talk and gut check from the Spirit of the Living God. Get up! He tell us. Be of good cheer, dust yourself off and don’t let discouragement become despair. Despair is the dreadful feeling that nothing will ever be better. Despair is like a vice that squeezes all the air out of your lungs, and drains all the hope out of your life. That is not the will of God for your life.
Get back up. Start again. Trust again. If you have sinned and feel far from the Lord, repent. Stop what you are doing, turn around and follow the Lord again. Get up and stop making excuses. Don’t sit there and wallow and feel bad for yourself. Get up and keep moving forward.
Proverbs 3: 5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Strengthen your resolve. Pick up your sword (um, the Bible), and see who the Lord says that you are. Renew your mind. Renew your heart, and renew your faith.
Seeking, Finding, and Following Jesus. Pray on, dear readers. Pray on.
Holy Devoted 