“A father and his young son who went into a toy store where there was an inflatable punching bag in the shape of a man. The boy punched the inflatable man, who tipped over and immediately bounced back after every punch. The father asked his young son why the man kept bouncing back up. The boy thought for a minute and then said, “I don’t know. I guess it’s because he’s standing up on the inside.” In order to be “all in,” we need to “stand up inside,” “come what may.”-Gary B. Sabin
This is exactly what I want my kids to know. I don’t want them to be a punching bag, but if they get knocked down, I want them to stand up. If the adversary attacks them, I want them to have the courage and strength to stand up. If they have a bad day, or things don’t go their way, I want them to stand back up, and keep going, try again. We were not designed to sit and wait, or to be carried through life. We were divinely designed to be great. Each and every one of us was created perfectly in the sight of God. He gave us his best, he gave us the ability to act for ourselves, he gave us free agency, he gave us his trust. Life is full of knock downs, and discouragement, but with Christ’s love, and His atonement, it is full of standing back up and accomplishments.
“No matter how many times you have slipped or fallen, rise up! Your destiny is a glorious one! Stand tall and walk in the light of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! You are stronger than you realize. You are more capable than you can imagine. You can do it now!” -Dieter F. Uchtdorf
There is a second part of “standing up” that I want my kids to understand. God gave us each other, so that we could not only stand up, but we can grab other’s hands and help them stand as well. I don’t want them to follow the trend of today; to do whatever it takes to build up oneself, even at the expense of others. Instead, I want them to look around and help others to stand, and to stand tall.
If we all help each other, we would live in the most joyous world. Nightly news would be filled with stories of love, kindness, and happiness.
The next time you get knocked down, just remember, YOU BOUNCE BACK. When you see someone else knocked down, give them a hand, so that their bounce back is easier.
One of my favorite stories of bouncing back is a video of college indoor track race. The girl that was favored to win the indoor 600 was in was in 4th place. She made her move to take the lead around a curve, but her foot caught on something and she fell. She jumped up immediately, but this is a fast race, so the runners where significantly ahead of her. With no sign of discouragement she ran her heart out, and pulled off a last minute win. It’s the most motivating video to watch, because she was working so hard, about to take the lead, and fell. She bounced back immediately, just like this punching bag and then carried on without feeling sorry for herself. She wasted no time seconding guessing what she needed to do, she knew who she was and planned to accomplish her goal regardless of the obstacle she now faced. Remember she is racing other college runners, who have also qualified for this race, meaning they are all fast, and all want to win. It’s the greatest come back I have ever seen.
I think about this every time I walk in the kitchen and it’s mess, even though I have cleaned it twice already that day. I tell myself, who I am, “I am the mother of the greatest family, and this is their mess, it’s my honor to clean it, with them.” I think about this when trying to lose weight after having babies, or just after a long winter. I think about this when my kids come home from a bad day, and their best friend has been mean to them. I think about this when my kids make a mistake, or when I make a mistake. This little race has helped me stand up through life, because I don’t want anything to stop me from being who I know I am. I don’t want anything to stop me from being who my Heavenly Father knows I am. I want to do my best, everyday.
“When we’re desperate to become the people we were born to be, our vision changes. We wake up from the spiritual amnesia the adversary so cleverly administers, and suddenly we see things about ourselves, others, and our lives we’ve never seen before. The world’s “fun” and “entertainment” start to look almost ridiculous, perhaps even spiritually dangerous. We begin to see the adversary’s tricks and traps for what they really are–temptations to make us forget our true identity and our destination.” -Wendy W. Nelson
-Sherri Jorgensen
Recent Comments