STAND!

Whatever life throws our way and tries to knock us down with, we can stand and catch it, or we can let it flatten us. And sometimes we do our best to catch it but it flattens us anyway. Sometimes we can be flat on our faces physically, spiritually, emotionally, mentally...any one of those or any combination. And we get through it, look back, and don't know how we manged to do it, but, we've come out STANDING. We may even have become OUTSTANDING!

We realize people have prayed us through, God has carried us through, and we've leaned on an awful lot of people who came alongside of us and they've walked with us. And we realize we've also had a lot of people who came along underneath us and they lifted us. And, together, we got through it all. Never alone, not for a minute.

When we can't stand by ourselves, we can stand when others support us. And we can stand when God gives us the grace and fortitude to stand, even without obvious support from others. God always has the last word and it's always, "Stand." Even when life knocks us down for the final time, God tells us to "Stand" as we come to Him and prepare to run through His Gates.

And, so it is that we always fall seven times, stand eight. We're never knocked down for good. We're never down and out for the count. No matter how it looks to the onlooker. No matter what the world may see. Eyes of faith see something else. We see winners. We see standers. We see athletes claiming their prize.

Stand tall. Head up. Shoulders back. Eyes ahead. Ears tuned.
Stand firm. In it to win it. Determined. NO room for naysayers.
Stand.

charis