The Man We Want

The Man We Want

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

James 4:10

Shug Jordan, former coach of the Miami Dolphins, asked one of his linebackers, Mike Kollin, to do some recruiting for the team.

Mike said, “Sure, Coach. What are you looking for, exactly?”

“Well, Mike, you know there’s that fellow you knock down and he just stays down?”

Mike said, “Yeah, Coach. We don’t want him, do we?”

“No, that’s right. Then there’s the fellow you knock down, and he gets up. You knock him down again, and he stays down.”

Mike said, “We don’t want him, either, do we, Coach?”

Coach said, “No, Mike. But there’s a fellow you knock down, and he gets up. Knock him down again, and he gets up again. Knock him down, he gets up. Knock him down, he gets up.”

Mike said, “That’s the guy we want, isn’t it, Coach?”

The coach answered, “No, we don’t want him, either. I want you to find that guy who’s knocking everybody down. That’s the guy we want!”

While I was writing this book, I was spending time in the hospital with my ninety-two-year-old mom, who had fallen and broken her hip. Then she had a mild heart attack. You might think that was it for her, but that would mean you don’t know my mom.

Before she fell, Mom was living in her own home, driving her car, working in her yard, baking for every church event, and simply doing her life. She and her older sister, who is ninety-five, take care of each other. (Don’t you love it?) Mom also had been married to my vagabond-preacher dad for seventy years. I told you, she’s no quitter! And to her, this hip fracture was just a speed bump on the road of life. In no time at all she was back on her feet and walking!

When life knocks you down, do you stay down or get back up?

Dear God, you are the one who lifts me up when I fall and keeps me going when I want to quit. I’m so grateful for your strength in my weakness. Thank you, Father. Amen.