I don’t know if I’m allowed to do what I’m about to do. I don’t know if it’s okay to take just a few words from the Bible and highlight them, but that’s what’s about to happen.
I just finished a bible study about the prodigal son. That’s the story about the son who asks his dad for an early inheritance and then takes off and spends it all on wild living. He finds himself with nothing, feeding pigs and wishing he could eat as well as the animals.
The study I did was a dramatic video series called, “AHA” and was narrated by a pastor named Kyle Idleman.
At one point in the last episode, Kyle reminds us of what happens right after the son realizes he’s longing for the pig food. The son determines that his best course of action would be to go apologize to his father. Then the NIV translation tells us this, “So he got up and went to his father.” (Luke 15:20) 
How many times in our lives do we know what we should do? I’d say pretty often.
How many times in our lives do we follow through and actually go ahead with that plan? I’m just speaking for myself here, but I’d say not so much.
She knew she needed to apologize for her part in the fight. So she got up and called her mother.
She knew she needed to do something to combat the anger in her heart. So she got up and met with a marriage counselor.
She knew she needed to stop spending money she didn’t have. So she got up and cancelled Netflix.
She knew she needed to fit into her jeans again. So she got up and walked away from the cheesecake.
I’m not sure what gives some people the strength to get up and do what they know they need to do. (If you’ve figured that out, would you let me know?) I think it has something to do with acknowledging that there is a problem, taking some of the blame for the problem, and then realizing that we can create our own future by taking the next right step today.
As my new TV friend, Kyle says, “It’s not easy, but it is simple.”
Maybe this week, we just need to memorize four words from scripture that can serve as a reminder of that first step: “So he got up.”
What do you need to get up and do?