This mornings message was titled "Defeating Defeat". What better message for a woman who sometimes feels defeated when trying to raise three kids on her own while worrying about her husband who is thousands of miles away with limited communication. Pastor started out saying, "We beat defeat by connecting with Jesus and taking the focus off of ourselves to help others." He then went on to say, "We create a new history by seizing opportunities to get up, stand up and speak up." "...for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again..." (Proverbs 24:16) His third point was this, "We break free from the gravity of past defeat by continually moving forward until we obtain breakthrough momentum." "...but one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead., I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14) The main point that he was getting across is that when we fall down we always have the opportunity to get back up, and we must get back up. We can't let our defeat own us. By taking the focus off of ourself and turning it to others we will replace the bad thoughts of whatever it is that caused our defeat with good thoughts. Eventually those thoughts will totally replace the thoughts of defeat and we will feel victorious once again. If we just let God use us for good, the defeat that we once felt will disappear. I know I didn't do his message justice by what I just wrote, but I felt God using this message to speak to me in a roundabout way.
My defeat isn't a long term thing that I dwell on daily. However, I have days, as I'd guess everyone does ocassionally, where I just feel defeated. Whether it be the kids having a day of nonstop fighting or a day when I just don't feel like I can go another day without my husband here, I just have to look up. God is right here. Instead of dwelling on the present feeling of defeat I have to put that energy into helping someone else and not concentrate on my own feelings of defeat. Looking back at past situations, it's so true that the defeat will be replaced by victory. So when you feel like you're defeated, just look up, ask Jesus for help, and get back up!
"Get Back Up" by Toby Mac
We lose our way,
We get back up again
It's never too late to get back up again,
One day you gonna shine again,
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever,
Lose our way,
We get back up again,
So get up, get up,
You gonna shine again,
Never too late to get back up again,
You may be knocked down,
But not out forever
After church we headed to the beach for a birthday party. It was relaxing to spend the day outside with ohana. Tristan spent the day in the water surfing with uncle and the girls played in the sand with cousins. I spent the afternoon just sitting in the shade with my sisters. I'm so thankful that God brought us into their family. They took us in from day one and have included us in their family always. We really feel like a part of them and we will forever have a family in Hawaii to call our own.
After our day at the beach ended, I had to take Tristan to Ross to get some basketball shorts for pe class. While he was trying on shorts, reluctantly I might add because he just knew they would fit, I walked around a little bit. I'm glad I did. I found a great bargain. Yes Trint, it really was a bargain. I know you hear me say that a lot, but usually it really is a bargain or I wouldn't buy it. hehe Anyhow, my house is decorated mostly in the American theme. I love the American flag with it's red, white and blue. It reminds me of why we do what we do. Why we spend years apart, why we uproot our lives and leave friends behind to relocate every few years. It's all for our God and country. So anyhow, I found a few more items to add to my collection. Eventually they will be hanging on the front of our house, along with our American flag.
