DAILY DOSE OF HOPE – BLOG – NAIMA LETT
EMBRACING YO-YOS
photo source
Up and down.
Up and down.
Sometimes, life seems very yo-yo-ish.
But I recently realized that I resist the yo-yo.
I don’t like the up and down.
Most days, I wish things would stay, well, just up.
There’s a reason I love the weather in LaLa Land. Remember that song? “It Never Rains in Southern California” by Tony! Toni! Tone!? [Side note, I just pulled up the video and realized I know the actress that’s in it. Such a small world. I’d post the link, but the video gets a little racy for my readers on a Monday morning.] Anyway, the song is almost true. It hardly rains out here. That means that the majority of the time, it’s sunshine and blue skies, or “80 degrees with a breeze”, as I like to say. I love it! UP!
But no rain also means that 1/2 way through the summer, most of the grass along Hollywood Freeway is brown, we are more susceptible to brush fires that wipe out whole neighborhoods, and our water bills are massive because we’re all running sprinklers to keep our manicured lawns green. Rain is not so bad when we put it in context.
We need sunshine. We need rain. We need ups. We need downs. That’s the ebb and flow of life. That’s definitely the reality of the entertainment industry. And ministry, for that matter. Sometimes, things are up. Sometimes, things are down. Some things, I have no control over. But I can choose my response in each situation.
Which brings me to a passage I read this morning in my quiet time.
Don’t ask me how I got to 1 Peter from 1 Chronicles, but I ended up in 1 Peter 5 where Peter breaks down the attitude of those who serve the Lord. This is what he says:
Today’s Meditation
1 Peter 5:5-7
5 In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
DOWN?
Peter encourages us to choose the attitude of humility toward one another and toward God.
I don’t know about you, but that sounds like I’m choosing the down of the yo-yo, yes? Does anybody else feel that way? Like humility takes us down?
That’s exactly true.
That’s exactly what God is saying, “Choose the down.”
This has nothing to do with depression or sadness. I’m not suggesting that God is saying choose to be down and in the dumps. That’s not it. This scripture says for us to choose humility instead of pride. It’s an attitude shift. It’s choosing to honor God and others before ourselves. It’s embracing last instead of first.
Or in my case, embracing rain.
EMBRACING YO-YOS.
Because here’s the good news:
When we humble ourselves under God, He lifts us up in due time. He lifts us.
We can cast all our anxiety on Him because He cares for us.
Whatever we’re stressed about, He can handle it. We don’t have to worry.
Our part is humility, which is hard, by the way. Tried it lately? How’s it going on your end?
Let’s see if we can choose humility today.
Let’s see if we can embrace the down of the yo-yo.
If I can find a yo-yo to match my outfit, that might even be better!
Or one that lights up like the one in the picture above?!
Maybe one that sings or pays some bills?! That would be pretty cool,
Naima