We Will Get Up

It is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.

John 6:40

I enjoy going to zoos because I am fascinated with animals, especially the wild ones. I see God’s artistry in the black and white stripes of a zebra as well as the gorgeous spots on a leopard and the varied patterns on a giraffe. Is it any wonder that animal print fabrics never seem to go out of fashion?

A baby giraffe has a rough introduction to the world. When the calf drops from his mother (some eight feet), you’d think the fall would kill it. And then the mother giraffe shows her “love” by kicking the calf repeatedly until it gets up. As soon as the calf gets up on its spindly legs, mom giraffe kicks her baby down again because she wants her offspring to remember how it got up. Talk about a rough set of circumstances early in life. Sounds like something I would like to forget! But her actions are all for her calf’s good; she’s instilling strength for survival.

Throughout our lives, you and I face rough times. I’m sure you wouldn’t have to think very long to recall situations when you’ve felt kicked down, when it was a struggle to even think of getting back up on your feet. Sometimes we feel as though we have nothing left inside to help ourselves get up.

But be assured that God is the One who will raise us up permanently. He doesn’t leave us down forever. Jesus lovingly tells His followers that He will raise them up to be with Him forever. When we reflect on His eternal perspective, we realize it instills strength for survival through the ups and downs of this life.

No matter how many times in this short life we fall down or are weighed down or even face death, we will be raised up forever, never to go down again!

Up and at ’em! Let’s adopt Jesus’ eternal perspective in John 6:40, asking Him to instill His strength in us today.