falling down

I was in my forties when I fell for the first time as an adult. I tripped over one of those yellow concrete things you pull up to in a parking spot. I'm not sure how I didn't see it. I know those things are there in every parking lot, but I wasn't paying enough attention to where my feet were and somehow my toe got hung up on the edge of it and I started stumbling. And I stumbled. And stumbled...and, yet again. I finally got so tired of tripping along in the parking lot I just gave up and fell down. Right on my lunch. Yep. Squished it. Skinned my knee a little, too. I felt stupid but what was I supposed to do? Keep stumbling until I was so far away from the college that I'd need a taxi to get to class?

After that day you can bet I watched where my feet were and what was on the ground in front of me so I had a pretty good run of staying upright until the year I fell five times! Yep. Count them. FIVE times that year I hit the concrete, or the bricks, the asphalt, or the dirt. It got to be so routine that I teased Byron and told him I sure was getting tired of him picking me up off the ground!

One amazing thing about all those falls is that no matter how many times I put my hands down to catch myself, I never broke a wrist or any other bone and I never got skinned up much. The worst injury I got was when my skin got hung up on some rusty wire when I was heading out to feed our goats. I got a puncture wound so I had to take a tetanus shot. I was surprised to discover how strong our skin really is. For these favors, Lord, I am very grateful.

The other evening while I was at the kitchen sink peeling something to have with our dinner, I looked out the window. Byron and Phil were going out to the garage for something and it was raining. As Byron walked into the building I saw his feet fly out from under him and he hit the concrete pretty hard. I watched to see if I needed to call 911 but I saw Phil rush over to him and help him get up. He got up very slowly but seemed to be OK because he and Phil stayed out there working for a few minutes before he came into the house. He was sore but not injured. For this, dear Jesus, I am also very grateful.

In thinking about all these upsets, I came up with these tidbits about falling:

Falls are usually unexpected.

Falls are unpleasant.

We fall because we aren't watching where we are going or what we are doing.

Falls can just shake us up a little or can hurt us badly.

When we do fall it's nice to have someone to pick us up.

I've literally fallen hard several times in the last few years and those falls hurt my body and my pride, but in thinking about the whole ordeal of losing footing, crashing to the ground, and getting back up again, I see that I have sometimes fallen down in other ways, too.

When I am careless about others, when I don't watch where I am going or what I am doing, when I am not diligent to care for them, then I let friends or family down who need me and count on my help.

There are times when I fall down in my devotion to Jesus, when I neglect to 'pray without ceasing.' I fall down when I don't share Jesus with someone who needs Him. I fall down when I fail to trust Jesus with all my worries and concerns. I fall down when I put ANYTHING before Jesus in my life.

Ecclesiastes 4:10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

I've fallen down a lot in my life and yet, our Jesus still picks me up in tender love--He picks US up in tender love, dusts us off, and says, "Go, and sin no more. I'll help you."

And, He does! What a wonderful Saviour! What an awesome God we serve! What a friend we have in Jesus! He never fails to pick us up, to clean us off, to love us unconditionally. We may fall but Jesus never fails!

Thank you so very much for picking me up when I fall, Lord. Sometimes I forget. Sometimes I lose focus. Sometimes I just don't pay attention to the important things. Help me to remember. Help me to pay attention to the things that matter most to you. I love you so much, Jesus. You truly are the friend that sticks closer than a brother. I love you. I love you. I love you.

Suz