Maybe that kick was to save your life...? -

Did you ever realize that when a baby giraffe is born, it starts out its life with a 5-foot drop to the ground? The first thing a baby giraffe ever experiences in this world is the shock of hitting the ground and the stunning realization that no one was there to catch him! Has that ever been you? Then, as the baby lays there trying to get oriented, it is repeatedly kicked by its mother until it gets up and runs. Welcome to the world, baby!

When we feel broken, dropped, raw, vulnerable and weak we tend to lay on the ground and try to get our bearings, but then something is kicking us over and over. What the heck?!

As brutal as that sort of experience sounds, it is a necessary, life-saving experience for the giraffe. Why? One word: predators. The mother knows that if her baby cannot get up and run on its own, it will be vulnerable to an attack, that something will see it laying there and will pounce. So maybe, in your life, you just landed to the ground with a thud, and now you’re being repeatedly kicked. Don’t just lay there! Sometimes we need a series of kicks to get us moving because we JUST. WON’T. MOVE. otherwise. We’ll lay there and moan about how hard life is or we’ll focus on all the bad things happening, or we’ll refuse to move until God moves for us. 1 Peter 5:8 warns of this very thing: “Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” It’s time to get up, baby, and run!

Your loving Father knows Satan wants you as badly as He does. When we feel broken, dropped, raw, vulnerable and weak we tend to lay on the ground and try to get our bearings, but then something is kicking us over and over. What the heck?! You want to know what God sees? That if you lay there you’ll DIE. Satan will snap you right up, chew you into pieces and spit out your bones for the world to see. He’ll go right for the throat too- your faith in God, your worship, your relationship and connection with Him. As any good predator knows, the weak, the sick and the lame make the best prey because they’re easy to kill. Those are the ones falling behind, laying on the ground or making the noises of pain and suffering. Music to a killer’s ears!

If you feel like you’re being kicked over and over – get up and run! “Life” doesn’t get to rule over you, unless you give it that authority. Run after your Father! Stick close to His side and keep yourself amid the protection of those who are running toward Him as well. Just because you’re being kicked doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. It’s true that sometimes life kicks you, but if a series of kicks is what it’ll take to get you to RUN and LIVE, God, in His long-suffering love and compassion will do it too.

Thought for today

Does God need to kick you to get you up? I hope He doesn’t need to kick me, but there are definitely times when I look back and know it was Him trying to get me up out of the dirt. Those times when I was still in shock from crashing to the ground and just wanted to lay down and give up, but everything just hurt more and more and more so I finally got up and ran to God. Has that ever been you? The author of Hebrews wrote this: “Therefore lift up your tired hands, and strengthen your weak knees. Make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame go out of joint, but rather be healed.” (Hebrews 12:12-13) God has a future and a hope for you, but that doesn’t mean the path toward it will be filled with unicorns and rainbows. Life up your tired hands, friend. Worship the Lord. Strengthen your weak knees by using them to run to Him and kneel down to pray. Make straight paths for your feet by studying and meditating on His Word. (Psalm 119:105) This will keep you from falling apart and will ultimately bring you healing, wellness and life. You can do this!