Struck Down

by Ron Potter

We’ve been looking at a text written over 2,000 years ago.  A partial reading of the text says that we are afflicted in every way, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down.  We now come to the last word in the sequence, Stuck Down.

Being Struck Down is Painful

While being persecuted seems very painful and personal, being stuck down seems to be the ultimate of pain and suffering.

Maybe you’ve been struck down in the past.  It might have been a baseball to the head that knocked you unconscious.  Maybe you didn’t see the low beam or branch.  These are very painful and physical.

I was never a fighter.  However, there was a time in high school when the school bully decided to pick me out of the crowd and make an example of me.  He was a couple of years older than me and much larger and stronger.  He slapped me hard on my left cheek.  It stung and brought water to my eyes and nearly knocked me out.  But when I recovered and just stood there, he didn’t like that.  So he struck me on the other cheek with similar results.  I guess at that point he decided he wasn’t going to be successful in either starting a fight or knocking me down so he simply walked away.

Years later a friend told me how impressed he was that I simply stood there and took it.  He thought it took real grit, self-control, and humility to accomplish.  I had felt almost ashamed for many years for not fighting back or defending myself and yet here was my friend telling me how impressed he was with the grit and strength that I showed during that moment.

Last Word of the Four

Being struck down seems to be the most destructive and painful of all of the four descriptions.  It can either be physical as in the example I gave or it can be emotional and maybe not even seen or noticed by others.  But it will feel as if you’ve been struck down physically when it happens.  Maybe it’s a simple word said by someone in a team meeting.  It may have been intentional or completely innocent but it feels as if you’ve been struck down.

Being struck down is painful and destructive.  It may even cause you to change who you are.  It can affect your character and your outlook on life.  And yet, it happens.

Dealing With Being Struck Down

There is no good way for dealing with the feeling of being struck down.  My only suggestion is to endure.  Remind yourself of who you are.  Fall back on your character and belief system.  You may have been struck down physically or emotionally.  Either way, endure.  Live through it.  Become stronger.  Grow.  The text says that it will happen.  We will be struck down.  In our lifetime, we will not avoid it.  At some point, we will be or feel like we’ve been struck down.


Read the next post in the series.
Facing Adversity
Afflicted in Every Way
Perplexed
Persecuted
Struck Down
Ancient Text
Regrets—Text to Corinthians

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2 comments

Jeff Barber April 1, 2022 - 9:38 am

Of the 4, being struck down is the one that really resonates with me. I had similar experiences both when I was young and in different ways in my career. It has affected how I might engage (or avoid) certain individuals. I have seen many broken relationships that affect team dynamics due to a verbal ‘bully’, who operates by hubris and speaking louder or rudely to rule a conversation. I actually knew a company leader who thought he needed to act this way to effectively manage his team. What happens is the entire team stops participating. Communication shuts down. Solutions to problems weren’t sufficiently vetted. What is the best way to deal with this type of person?

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Ron Potter April 12, 2022 - 2:36 pm

Hi, and I miss seeing you.

Start by reading two books. One is the “Fifth Discipline” by Peter Senge. The second one is the “5 Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni.
These two books will give you a clear understanding of how good teams can perform. They will also give you some good insights on how to deal with a person who thinks this is the right way to lead.

I would also lead you back to the last paragraph of the post on being struck down. You need to have a good understanding of yourself, what you stand for and who you are “or want” to be. Figure that out first then begin to speak to that in your action and words. There is not another person like you in the world. The world needs you what you think. Don’t be silent, just be confident and genuine.

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