Hitting the ground after a fall is painful, especially in public! Has that ever happened to you? It happens to us all. Whether it’s a literal fall or a fall from grace, it can be painful and embarrassing. Your instincts tell you to get up. The pain tells you to stay down. In that moment, you feel a little foolish and wonder how you let this happen. You look around, checking if anyone noticed your fall. You assess your injuries and debate whether it’s worth getting back up—or if staying down feels safer.
But the act of rising is powerful. It’s a refusal to stay down, a choice to confront the world again—maybe bruised, but unbroken. It’s about reclaiming your dignity, facing your fears, and showing yourself what you’re truly made of.
In my community, getting up has always been more than just standing again. It’s a legacy. We’ve been knocked down and oppressed by forces bigger than ourselves—knocked back, stepped on—but we’ve never stayed there. Rising is in our DNA. As Maya said, “You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”
It is time to get up, and not just to stand, but to thrive and the next time you hit the ground, hit it running.
Guard Your Gates 