This Is Going To Hurt

The other day I was watching "fail" videos on my phone for some reason or another.  To be honest, it probably started as something else, and then became one of the many internet rabbit holes that I go down sometimes. 

But these fail videos... they're simply videos of people attempting to perform some physical activity and then failing miserably.  The videos could be a person trying to skateboard and wiping out, or trying to swing on a rope by a lake or river, and falling into the mud instead. 

And of course, there are scores of videos where people try to dive into water, and belly flop instead. 

As you watch those particular videos you can see the person realize in mid-air that things aren't going to end well for them, and they start to flail their arms and legs a bit to try to mitigate the disaster, and then BAM! 

I've been there myself, to be honest---sometimes by intent.  Belly flops are big fun for the people watching them, but when you're the flopper, there's always this thought that goes through your head in the split second before you hit the water: 

"This is going to hurt."  

There are always moments in life when you realize that whatever has happened is going to leave a mark.  You know that whatever occurred, the trial, tragedy, mishap, mistake, bad decision, or calamity is going to change things. 

It's the kind of realization that singer/songwriter JP Saxe summed up like this: 

It's unlikely there is a version of this
That's not gonna tear me apart. 

Maybe it was the moment when a dear loved one passed away.  Or when you knew that a relationship had effectively ended.  It could have been when you suddenly knew that everything you'd thought about faith and God had changed on a dime. 

As I sit here, I am bringing some of those moments to mind, remembering how I felt when I knew that everything had changed for me.  There's one moment, in particular, that is so vivid to me, even now.  I felt like something broke inside me.   

Maybe you are doing the same.   

The other day I was listening to a TED talk by Sarah Kay who gave an inspirational speech on overcoming adversity.  She said this, which really resonated with me: 

Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.  

I love that so much.  

Sometimes it takes a "This is going to hurt" moment to remind you that even though you're not invulnerable, you're pretty dang resilient.  It takes a lot to take us out if we're willing to be even just a little scrappy.  

But the fact of the matter is that those moments when we get the wind knocked out of us often do bring change, and some changes aren't all that welcome.  

We often suffer heartbreak as a result of those impacts.  We can also find ourselves feeling lost and alone. 

But if we're willing to step into them, those breath-taking moments we endure remind us that our lungs really do like the taste of the air, and all things being equal, we'd much rather keep breathing. 

May it be so for you today, and every day no matter what happens to take your breath away.  And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.