There's this song from 2001, Flaw's "Get Up Again" that's been in my head for the past couple of months... You see, 2017 has been a year of serious reflection for me, and it's been overwhelming at times. And this song, although not a gospel song per-say has served as motivation for me when every time I fall (in my walk with God, people, my word, my purity, ...). Every time you fall or stumble, "there are the ones who, help when the times get tough... and time will get tough... Get up again".

How great would our christian walk be if we could just maintain the energy\focus\mindset of our "best day w\God", in every day of our life? And yet, it's not that easy. We tire, stumble, fall, and sometimes have the hardest time getting back up again.

God know what this is all about, but more importantly, has the proper mindset that we need to have to overcome spiritual fatigue:

Jesus' half-brother, James, knew his readers had been taught the concept of trials producing spiritual growth, but did they really grasp it? (Do you?) Another word to describe Jame's principle is endurance, and that it's not "automatic" or intuitive. Like the 1st century disciples, we have been taught that hardships are what God uses to develop our endurance. And, unless we understand how he works, our response to "trials of many kinds" is likely to be anything but joy. And James shares this with us because "knowing" and "doing" are two separate steps: "Knowing" what God can do with trials isn't the same as "doing" life with that knowledge. (He's also reminding us of our privilege to respond to God's work through testing, by choosing joy!)

We all know that there are other choices to choose from when we fall - We can get angry at God for allowing trials to happen, or we can become discouraged because we were expecting an easier life with Jesus. We can even develop a persistent "bad attitude" during trials, that keeps others from seeing our hope in the middle of what God is doing. But joy is a much better choice. (And not to minimize or "re-word" the bible but...) Not joy for the "trials of many kinds" but joy over what those trials will accomplish in deepening our faith. Tight-faced & white-knuckling our way through a difficulty is a certain kind of endurance, but that "lack of joy" isn't a pretty sight. And "choosing" to be angry, to feed discouragement, or push others away, isn't the kind of endurance God wants to develop in us either. He simply wants us to persevere joyfully.

Flaw's vocalist Chris Volz explained the meaning of the song:

Maybe Chris didn't know that he would get through this, forget "coming out on top", but as God's disciples, we know this! How often do we reflect on our struggles just within the past couple of years? Only to know how God has pulled us through all of it? Endurance, perseverance, and steadfastness - nothing is more essential to our success than these things (and we get them from God).