Hope you had a great Independence Day weekend! It’s vacation time again!

My husband and I were just talking the other day about all the fun we used to have camping during the summers when our boys were little. One of our favorite spots to camp was Coneross Park on Lake Hartwell. One trip especially sticks out in my memory, probably because I may never get over it.

Scott and I and our boys were sitting under a shade tree by the lake passing the time with our dear friends, the Lawsons and the Hendrixes. The topic came up about getting older and our kids growing up. Taylor, who was 9 at the time, said, “Mom, I can already outrun you.” Of course, I wasn’t going to admit defeat. I immediately rose to the challenge. I hopped up, turned to our friends, winked, and said, “Watch this, y’all!”

I took off running up the gravel driveway. Taylor quickly joined the race. About ten feet later, I tripped and wiped out, face first in the gravel. I skinned my knees, my elbows, my chest, and my face right there in front of God, my family, Butch and Judy and Mike and Angie. Needless to say, Taylor won that race. I was beaten in more ways than one.

Although my body wasn’t hurt (okay, it did hurt … a lot), my pride sure was. I limped to the bathroom to clean up my bloody self, then returned to the group. After everybody found out that I was okay for the most part, we all had a good laugh about it. I’m sure if you said the phrase “Hey, watch this y’all!” to our friends today, I would immediately come to mind and they’d fondly chuckle.

I will speak for myself here—sometimes my mouth writes checks that my behind can’t cash. The race that day was a shining (rather shameful) example of that. It is funny now, but when I hit the rocky ground, not so much.

Sometimes despite our best intentions in life, we fall face first. We don’t finish first. Things don’t work out as we planned. Even when we come in last, even when we fall hard, we’ve got to get back up and keep trying. We can make it with God’s help. Life is about falling. Getting back up is living.

After I recovered from that day, I still raced Taylor and actually beat him a couple more times (that was years ago). I’d rather him remember a mom who tried, fell, laughed at herself and got back up, than one who didn’t try at all.

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. 2 Chronicles 15:7

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phillipians 4:13

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Hebrews 12:1

Dear Lord: Thank You that You never give up on us. Please give us strength and courage to get back up when we fall and to try again. May we follow Jesus’ example when He didn’t quit on His journey to the cross for us. We know that if we trust in You, only with Your help, we can live our lives victoriously and run the race that is set before us. Amen

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