Fall Down Get Up Game
No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. [Romans 8:37].
QUOTE: My strength did not come from lifting weights. My strength came from lifting myself up when I was knocked down (Bob Moore).
It was another perfect blue ski Colorado day with over four feet of powder and my ski sister, and I were at Berthoud Pass. Laughing, powder (snow) flying in our faces, having a great time as we skied through the trees when suddenly, she sat down.
I’m thinking impatiently to myself, what the heck is she doing? It’s a powder day! Why are you sitting down? (Note, this was BJ-before Jesus). I skied over to her and all I could see were tears streaming down her face because she was almost completely buried in snow. I sat down next to her, now completely buried up to my neck. I asked, “What’s wrong girlfriend, why are you crying and sitting down in the middle of a run on a powder day? Seriously what’s up my friend?”
I’ll never forget the words she yelled out loudly: “I’m so sick and tired of this fall down, get up game; fall down, get up, fall down, get up, fall down.” She was talking about life… Yes, sometimes life can literally feel like a fall-down get-up game, can’t it? There are times when we barely have the strength to get back up, fearing something else will knock us back down.
How this fall down get up game of life plays out for us has a lot to do with what we think about OURSELVES. My dear friend, sitting buried in the snow with tears streaming down her face had a difficult journey. She was with a physically and verbally abusive man and daily we wondered if we would see her again. Just that morning he had demeaned her, bruised her face, and told her what an awful person she was. All I could do at that time was hold her and let her cry and yell at the top of her lungs. This time there were no teddies or Christmas songs, only a broken heart and sadness (oh yes, this comes in another story).
Pardon me while I hop up on my soapbox for a moment. Women not having value in themselves is a very disturbing concept for me and yet another reason for this book and our community. In the case of my friend, she was blinded by this man’s good looks and smooth talk. Those red flags kept waving, but she ignored them and then she started making excuses for him. Ladies, as you know abuse is not always physical. The words men say can sometimes cause more damage than his fist. This is almost a worse situation because it messes with our minds and things can get so twisted around and mixed up that we don’t even know which end is up or down. Please know WHO GODS SAYS YOU ARE, so you can recognize when someone is spewing lies to you and messing with your mind.
We see women from all walks of life with abusive men, and unfortunately, sometimes they get caught in a vicious cycle that is almost impossible to get out of, even if they try many times. This situation ultimately starts because of what a woman thinks and believes about herself. It then becomes a seemingly never-ending cycle because the man will make her feel even worse about herself. She will allow him to demean her to the point that she doesn’t have any sense of who she is, and she will eventually lose any form of confidence left to make her own decisions. I’ve seen this way too much with too many women that I care about.
This isn’t about bashing men; this is about YOU and how you think and feel about YOU; with or without a man. It’s about those daily choices you make on how you think about YOU. On one hand, I feel sorry for the man because he is hurting himself and may not understand where his hurt is coming from (his own hidden self-limiting beliefs). I’m not providing an excuse or giving him permission to do what he does; I’m just saying hurting people hurt others.
On the other hand, I get more upset with the women who STAY year after year and make justifications and excuses for their behavior. Ladies, please learn how to stop making excuses for men who treat you less than WHO GOD SAYS YOU ARE.
Dangerous decisions can be made if you choose to be lonely, not confident about who you are, if you have no purpose or vision, or if you simply lack good judgment or awareness, because of how you feel and think about yourself. How and what YOU THINK ABOUT YOU affects every aspect of your life from your business, family, friends, and career, down to every decision that you make.
FALL DOWN GET UP: My precious ski sister is only one example of what can happen when you don’t believe what God says about you. This is a dangerous game that no woman should choose to participate in. Life is full of fall-down, get-back-up moments. So, remember, what we THINK and BELIEVE about ourselves will determine the decisions and actions that we make in any circumstance.
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DAILY ACTION STEP
Say to yourself out loud
I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM
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FRIENDLY REMINDER: take out your journal and write down your thoughts, takeaways, and progress for this week!
TAKEAWAY GEMS
- What we think and believe about ourselves will determine the decisions and actions that we make.
- Women find themselves in abusive and unhealthy relationships because of what they think about themselves.
- Know and believe Who God Says You Are to protect yourself from getting into abusive or troubling relationships.
- Stop making excuses for men who treat you less than Who God Says You Are.
QUESTIONS TO “THINK ON”
- When have you found yourself in a compromising situation because of what you thought about yourself?
- Are you currently in an abusive relationship? What is the first step you are going to take to get away from this?
- What are some fall-down get-up days you have had? What did you do to get back up?
ACTION STEP
MIRROR EXERCISE: This is going to be a really powerful exercise IF you do it. Each day this week choose one of those stellar power statements you created. Stand in front of a FULL-LENGTH mirror. Look at yourself in the mirror and say OUT LOUD that statement; say it at least 5 times during the day while looking in the mirror.
DAILY SCRIPTURES
Day 1: Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. [1 Peter 3:3-4]
DAY 2: Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity [1 Timothy 4:12]
DAY 3: So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. [Deuteronomy 31:6]
DAY 4: No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. [Ephesians 5:29].
DAY 5: To acquire wisdom is to love yourself; people who cherish understanding will prosper [Proverbs 19:8]
DAY 6: And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. [Romans 8:26].
DAY 7: You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way. [Song of Songs 4:7]