I Heard It on the Radio - “Stand Back Up”

WITH THE SOULFUL DEPTH of a woman twice her age, Jennifer Nettles of the duo-band Sugarland sings truth in this country song of determination and restoration: “Go ahead and take your best shot.”^a

I have had numerous conversations over the years with young women who have told me they are afraid of the future—not because anything bad has happened to them or their families but because nothing bad has ever happened; life has been wonderful, sometimes, just too good to be true. They’re wise enough to know the first shoe will drop—they just don’t know how or when or where.

For those of us who have already crossed the River Despair, there’s only a slight liberty from this fear. It doesn’t haunt us like it did before our first disappointment, but it still wakes us up at night. The difference is that our past experience proved to us that we possess the grit, determination, and power to move through the hurt. We can sing along with Nettles as she promises, “I will stand back up.”

Jobs evaporate. Children err. Marriages disintegrate. Friendships flounder. Sometimes we fail. But we also learn. We learn to harness the failure for our future success.

If life is wonderful and carefree for you today, I celebrate with you! Enjoy this time and drink it in. You can file this page away for future reference.

If you are a seasoned veteran of troubled waters who’s been on the floor before, congratulate yourself today for turning that fight into your own victory.

And if this entry finds you in a place where for the first time in your adult life your self-confidence has been shaken, beaten, and bruised, let me give you this one promise to hang on to: you will stand back up.

We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy. (James 5:11)

Hang in there, girlfriend.

I Heard It on the Radio - “Stand Back Up”

From the book