[Steve Myers] Life can be pretty tough sometimes. I was reading an article about bamboo, and this word, “durable”, came to mind, and just some of the circumstances that we run into life. Watching this little program that was about bamboo showed how the winds knocked this stuff right over, and it grows unbelievably tall, and you would think once it’s knocked down to the ground, that’s the end of the plant. But the interesting thing is, it pops back up, and it’s so resilient. It’s just amazing because it grows so fast, and it’s so durable that even though the strongest winds of even a hurricane come along and knock it flat, it pops back up after a while. And it is just really remarkable. And as I thought about that, there are these times in our life where it just feels like we get knocked down, and we get knocked flat. And it’s tough to get back up.

Well, we’re not always like the bamboo, but I think if we consider it just a little bit, we can be. A passage in the Bible that reminded me of how we can be durable is one that’s found over in the book of Romans. And in Romans 14:4, it talks about how we can be durable. Here’s what it says. It says, “Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.” And that short little passage was kind of a reminder to me that sometimes I’m not all that durable, I’m not all that resistant or hardy or strong or enduring at times. And yet, if I can refocus, I can immediately go to God and pray to Him – this is a promise. It is a promise that God gives us, that God is able to make us stand. So what a great reminder that we can rely on God, we can turn to Him when we feel like we’ve been knocked flat, and He will make us stand. So let’s rely on God no matter what and be durable like the bamboo.