Bop Bag

Maybe you still have one in active service in your house for the kids. One of those "Bop Bags" you inflate so that your kids (and maybe you) can practice releasing some energy by hitting the bag. You can punch it, kick it, tackle it and yet it still bounces right back up again to a standing position. 

One day, I heard a preacher on a radio station express the words of his son. The child said, "Dad, I know what a Christian is supposed to be like, just like a bop bag, the devil hits them with his best shot and they bounce right back up". Maybe not right back up, but eventually righted.

In real life, take the case of our brother Russell, who the day before yesterday suffered at least two strokes, one temporarily putting one of his eyes out of commission. He now has to wear a patch for awhile so that he can balance his vision through his good eye. Today on the phone one might expect some sadness, maybe some depression, but not Russell. He said he had to keep working so today he added some new clients (less than 48 hours from the strokes), and was honored to possibly be the only one eyed attorney in ATL (which actually may help him get more clients).

Point is, adversity can knock us down, for a loop, or knock us out completely. But people like Russell will have none of that because their faith is the balanced weight that contributes to a quick rebound. When you think about it, we will be in heaven one day despite any ups or downs we face on earth. It's not if but a matter of when it happens, the devil will try to deflate our spirit at any moment so that we have no ability to bounce back.

We can complain, have a woe is me attitude or just realize that things that happen to us are just part of life, whether we are good, bad or on the fence. As the song so aptly said, "I beg your pardon, I didn't promise you a rose garden". And, even if we had one, there are still thorns to contend with.

The point, we should be like that bop bag as the son suggested. And to be so, we must have the spiritual weight within us to ensure we don't tip over in adversity, no matter what the situation. God has given us a guarantee against deflation, it's called The Holy Spirit, and it has a lifetime warranty.

Russell's good to go, he got punched, kicked and tackled, and he bounced right back up!

Glenn