A Word to the Down

You gotta bounce back when you feel glued to your bed
Bounce back, when books you're left with, are ones you've read
Time is on your side, convince it

You gotta stand up though everything's on top of you
Stand up, though you haven't got a clue on how to
You're taller than you think, smarter than you are, own it

You gotta walk on though you think you've been left behind
Walk on, though worries have left you almost blind
You're closer than you think, faster than you are, believe it

Life's not over, there's still plenty left
There's always a joy yet to be found, more steps to the ground
You are a joy to be found, the steps to someone's ground

You gotta dream on though you've had sleepless nights
Dream on, let them fly higher to the skies
Time is on your side, convince it
C'mon, do it


penned 10.19.08

Give Up!

Give up! Give up. give up...

Every time we hear those words, we right away associate it with quitting. However, quitting and giving up are two completely different things.

Does giving up mean surrender? Yes,

Does giving up mean relinquishing control? Yes.

Does giving up mean quitting? No.

So what does it mean?

Let's look at the words, give... up.

Giving... up.

You know, there's too many words today that are misused to the point of redefining it. Someone uses the word the wrong way, and somehow it catches on. There are tons of examples for this, but that's another blog post.

So let's get back to those two words, give...up.

Give = 1) to place in the hands of... 2) to bestow... 3) to administer 4) to devote or apply completely... 5) to entrust to another... 6) to convey or offer... http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=give

Up = 1) In or to a higher position... 2) In or to an upright position... 3) completely and/or entirely... http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=up

THUS, as you can see giving up does not mean forgetting about it, or letting it go to trash, or failing, or most importantly, quitting.

It means, as the definitions suggest, to place in the hands of a higher position, to entrust something to a higher place, and to bestow and relinquish control to a higher position.

That my friends, is what giving up means. It means to give it to someone or something of a higher position... and that means God. Who else is higher than all your troubles, all your worries and problems? Who else has control amidst chaos, grace amidst transgressions, order amidst lawlessness, and love amidst abhorrence and evil? Only God.

So starting now, let's use this phrase the right way and spread the news!

Giving up means letting God take over. It means admitting that we can't do it alone by our own might. It means acknowledging that He has the better plan and purpose for our life. It's thanking, praising, and worshiping Him when trials come because we already have the victory in Him and all we have to do is stay faithful and strong to win the battle.

He'll never give us something we can't handle, but the key is how we handle it.

Only then will you experience true freedom. The freedom from the slave masters of this temporary world that we foolishly and overly concern ourselves with to the point of being bound.

An amazing friend once told me,

"God never gives you trials that you can't handle. And He allows them for you to realize that in the end, it's only Him that truly matters; that amidst all the madness, the best thing and the only thing to do is thank and praise Him. For some, this takes hitting rock bottom to realize which things truly matter, but the cool thing is, we get to pick our rock bottom."

She's right, all we gotta go is give up.

I'm out, PEACE

written 2006