Get up

 

In Catholic churches, on the walls, there are depictions known as Stations of the Cross. They show the journey of Christ from His arrest to His Crucifixion. On this journey, it is said that He fell three times because of the weight of the Cross and our sins. Each time He got up again. He could have died there and then. But He got up.

Our journey in life is the same. We will fall often. But in our case, there's always Christ beside us helping us to get up.

As we grow older, no matter what age we are now, we sometimes look back on our lives and the good times we had, the not so good, and the really bad times. We have all had our problems and difficulties in life. None of us is immune. Some would say it is the price for being a fallen race, a sinning humanity. Others would say that bad things happen as part of life anyway. The reality is that each one of us has a story to tell. Some are worse than others albeit the sufferings and pains may be different.

One thing is in common however. Whether we recognised it at the time, or later on, or not recognised it at all; at every time when we were down on the ground because of the weight of our own cross, Jesus was there, ready to help and to pick up the cross for us to continue on our journey again.

I remember a story I was told about a little boy playing by the bayou and an alligator came by and grabbed him by the leg and tried pulling him into the water. The child screamed and called for his mother who was nearby. She grabbed him by the arm and tried pulling him out. It must have been a small alligator and a tug of war ensued between the alligator and the mother each pulling at the child. Eventually the mother saved the boy and rushed him to hospital.

There he was visited by his friends from school and neighbourhood. They all wanted to see his injuries and scars. He showed them his leg and foot where the alligator got him and they marvelled at what had happened. Then the child said there are other scars he'd like to show them on his arm which he was proud of. This is where his mother held on to him tightly trying to save him.

We all have scars. We all have sufferings we have endured in life.

Let our scars and sufferings be reminders of when God held tightly to us trying to save us. 

Life may well be difficult now, but the prize in Paradise is eternal.

Don't give up. Get up. Trust in God and go on. Don't be overwhelmed by life's difficulties and the Devil's discouragement. Overcome them with God's help and love and be proud of the resulting scars.

Not my will Lord, but your will be done.