Recently, my wife and I took our twin boys to watch “Tom and Jerry” the Movie for their 8^th birthday. All I will say is that I secretly loved it being that I’m and eighties baby was a Saturday morning cartoon kid who once relished in the cartoon for years.

As we watched the movie Tom and Jerry reminded me of a few things that I believe we can take with us through this journey of like. One truth is that we seem to always be faced with situations that we did not see coming. Life presents so many suprises from day to day, week to week and year to year that we have got to learn how to take TKO’s, lose a fight and be willing to get back in the ring for either a rematch or face the next opponent.

Tom, the overconfident cat, becomes outsmarted by Jerry, the mouse, time after time but after decades he came back in a movie to show the world that he would never give up his plight to defeat Jerry. Jerry, as a mouse faces constant rejection simply because of who he is and constantly must defend himself against the enemies that wants to see him destroyed.

Get this though. Tom never comes to a point where he gives up and Jerry never stopped finding small pleasure that he could truly enjoy. Both constantly hit with some hard tests, trials, and hardships but they never gave up, never lost confidence, and kept their joy. Sometimes we have to be a victim of pain, loss and hardship to be built for victory. Sometimes we have to be knocked down to learn how to stand up when we are hit.

My point is we have no idea what is around the corner. Many of us are constantly hit with things we did not expect. This past year we have an added enemy in the form of Covid 19 that has taken family members, friends, caused unemployment, pressed additional stress into the homes of families already doing all they could to hold and stolen the joy and peace of so many people.

We did not see this coming! What I do believe is that through resilience, our ability to press through or bounce back, and the decision to push one more day each day you wake up you will overcome. We will overcome. Do not let the thing we did not see coming dismantle your life to the point that you give up. A house that is torn down can be rebuilt. It may take new wood and nails, but it can be rebuilt. Your life can be rebuilt. It may be in pieces but use what is left starting with the breath in your body and the grace that God has surrounded you with and rebuild.