SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP

SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP
Read: 2 Samuel 12:1-15
"For I want very much to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, to be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine." Romans 1:11-12
This morning at 4:15 a.m., I had a minor disagreement with my alarm clock.
That disagreement? It told me to get out of bed, and I did not want to.
“If you didn’t want it to go off that early, why did you set it for that early?” you ask. It’s a perfectly reasonable question, and one I spent the next five minutes sitting on the couch in a dark living room asking myself.
The answer is a very simple one. About 8:30 p.m. last night a friend of mine sent me a (mildly) joking four-word message: “Suck it up, buttercup!” It was because of those four words ringing in my head I chose to listen to my alarm instead of crawling back under the covers.
See, the friend who sent me this message invited me to begin taking a 5 a.m. fitness class three days a week starting last week as I was healing from my ankle injury. The class has turned out to be an important part of the injury’s healing process, both from a mental and physical standpoint.
But after a long weekend of short sleep and a lot of time chasing down my energetic two-year old daughter, I hit a wall Sunday evening and was fairly certain I did not want to subject myself to another short night for a pre-dawn Monday wake up call.
After I reiterated as much in a message, my friend returned with that four word reply.
And so the alarm sounded, I tossed on my workout clothes with a grumble, and made it to the 5 a.m. class, where met with the companionship of friends, including the one who lovingly told me to suck it up.
It’s important to have this kind of a friend, too – the kind of friend who will pull you out of a stupor and keep you accountable and motivated when life gets hard and you are ready to throw in the towel. We need the friend who sees enough in you to know when you are not giving the best that you have and pushes you to be better because they know you have it in you.
It is nearly impossible to find growth in life, and in our walks with Christ, if we only surround ourselves with people who tell us its okay to settle for where we are at, and never push us to be more. We cannot move forward if all we have is “yes” friends.
Instead, fill your circle with friends who love you enough to keep you accountable. When the do hold you accountable, too, embrace the humility to takes to accept their Godly correction. As you grow, then, strive to be the same kind of friend, willing to hold others accountable, but being sure to do so with the loving, compassionate heart of Jesus Christ.
The next time a friend or relative tells you to, “Suck it up, buttercup,” thank them for the love it takes for them to say it. Then praise God for placing those people in your life.
Prayer: Thank you for the friends who love me enough to hold me accountable in love and help me grow. Give me the humility to embrace their correction, and help me to be the same friend to others, as well.


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