Wipeout

 Have you ever seen the TV show "Wipeout"? Each week crazy people take on one of the world's largest extreme obstacle course hoping to be the "Wipeout Champion." It is at times grueling to watch people get  smacked around, catapulted in the air, swim or crawl through mud, shot in the face with all kind of nasty stuff, and continue to the next round.

For some reason it is my Grandson’s “new” favorite show, (last week it was Little Bear), so when he was over the other night he said, “Grandma, let’s watch my favorite funny show”. I know before you say anything about violence on television I too thought the same thing. So I said, “I don’t think we should watch this, it is kind of a mean and an awful lot of hitting going on”. His response was” No Grandma, it’s funny, they get knocked down but they can get up and do it again”. So we watched it and every time someone would get wiped-out, he would say, “Wait Grandma watch, they get up and get to do it again”.

So here I am, the next day sitting in church and all of a sudden little flashes of the “Wipeout” scenes come flashing through my head. That is when I realized this has been my life for the last several weeks.

I would start out fine thinking OK I can do this, right God, and bam I got sucked punched, knocked me to my knees

 got up and shook it off, feeling the sting on my face I continued on, and bam catapulted into a sea of yuckiness,

got up again and tried to stand tall, and bam and the big old sweeper kicked my feet right under me

I laid down for a while on that one but pulled myself to a half standing position.

Finally, just when I didn’t think I could take anymore I crawled into the throne room of God and begged for His grace. Do you think the course ended there? The answer is nope, the next day received a couple of phone calls, that let’s just say wasn’t the best news, and bam blow to my left side

I limped around on my right for the rest of the day.

As I sat in church thinking of all that has taken place lately and hoping to hear from God, that He will bless me with a calm, sweet week--all I can hear is this little boy's voice about this crazy show-- and I realize I GOT UP! I didn’t stay down in the mud, I didn’t lay down face first drowning in the water, and I didn’t stay on the ground. I GOT UP! I may have crawled at times but I GOT UP! I guess Grace doesn’t always bring victory in the obstacles, sometimes Grace comes with Mercy and just let’s you GET UP and get through the obstacles!

Acts 20:24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the LORD Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.