Thursday, July 25, 2013

By: Gwen Hitt

I Desire to be a Bouncer

2 Corinthians 4:8-9 "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; STRUCK DOWN, but not destroyed."

For several years, my husband has taught a leadership class in our church based on John Maxwell's 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. One of my friends recently discovered and blessed me with a daily devotion by John Maxwell. The title of one of the recent readings was "Are you a splatter or bouncer?" As I read this devotion, I began to reflect on how much I desire to be a bouncer.

According to John Maxwell, there are actually two ways that people handle adversities in life .... They can SPLATTER or they can BOUNCE. He shares that "splatters hit rock bottom, fall apart, stick to the bottom like glue." Whereas he states that, "when bouncers hit bottom, they pull together and bounce back!"

I believe that today's scripture was written with BOUNCERS in mind. Sadly, in life, we will become the target of those fiery darts of discouragement, despair, disillusionment, and desperation. When we are hit really hard, the normal reaction is to fall down and to remain there in order to avoid getting hit again. However, the natural reaction is not the God reaction. Instead, God wants us to understand that even though everything appears to be bleak, we are not DESTROYED. He is always there to help us.

My challenge to you is to always grab hold to Psalm 40:2 as a lifeline "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."

By turning to God for help in our distress, by asking Him to guide us through the messiness that we find ourselves in, by trusting Him with our entire hearts to work out all things for our good, we will be able to BOUNCE off of the floor of our despair. Moreover, we will be able to rise above our situations drawing closer to the One who indeed has great plans for the remainder of our lives ... plans to give us both HOPE and a FUTURE.

Dear Lord, Help me to always call upon You when I get knocked down by the circumstances of life for I know that You are my rescuer in my time of need. I will rely on Your strength to make the decision to get up and bounce back today as well as everyday of my life.

I thank You, my Jesus, for dying for me. I believe that You are Lord and that God raised You from the grave so that I can have eternal life.