Amazing the lessons we can learn from the Holy Spirit when we’re simply going around minding our own business- which was exactly what I was doing last week during an evening outing with my family. We were going out to eat, and as we were walking into the restaurant, it happened. I’m still not convinced that the ground didn’t shift beneath my feet, or that the sidewalk in front of me didn’t suddenly, without notice, spring up two feet. Whatever the occurrence, it resulted in me taking a nosedive. It was one of those happenstances wherein you know exactly what’s about to take place, yet there’s nothing you can do about it. I knew I was going down, and all I could do was go with it. As far as falls go, it wasn’t all that bad. I scraped and bruised my hand a bit, and my right thigh was a little sore from landing on it, but nothing broken, fractured, or dislocated. Not even any bleeding. One would think that, after assessing any bodily harm and finding myself relatively free of any, I would have jumped up with a grateful sigh of relief; for, to be sure, on my quick trip to the ground, I was thinking, “Oh, man, I’m too old and too out of shape to be falling! I sure hope I don’t break a hip!” My reaction, however, was… different. Once I hit the ground and realized I was okay, I immediately tuned out the concerned voices of my husband and son, rolled onto my back, lay out straight, and closed my eyes shut tightly. The logic behind this was the same as it is for little children who believe you can’t see them if they can’t see you. You see, I was mortified. Incredibly embarrassed. It didn’t help matters at all that my other son- the one whose voice I couldn’t tune out- was laughing and saying, “Wasn’t that kinda funny?” [To his defense, he’s a little boy, and looking back at the situation, I imagine it probably was a bit comical to watch.]
As I was lying on my back, hot tears of humiliation beginning to run down my cheeks, my husband’s voice broke through the mental wall of invisibility I had hoped to create. He was kneeling by my side, holding out his hand to me, asking me if I was alright, and preparing to help me to my feet. For a few moments, I refused his offer of help. I wanted everyone to go away; I wanted to determine what damage control needed to be done by anyone who might have witnessed my ambulation faux pas so that I could possibly pretend like nothing had happened. It occurred to me, however, that I could not lay on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant indefinitely. I pushed aside my childish musings, took my husband’s hand, accepted the hug he gave me, and after assuring my family that I was okay, proceeded to enjoy my evening out.
I was thinking about this incident in light of my walk with Jesus. I was reminded that the writer of Hebrews admonishes us to “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.” I’ve not always remembered to do that, and there have been times I’ve found myself scraping my spiritual knees or stubbing my spiritual toes, and there have been times when I’ve simply fallen flat on my spiritual face! I recall a time several years ago when I was doing all I could in my own might to throw off weights and sin and run the race set before me with endurance. Yet it seemed that, for all my effort, my impediments seemed all the greater. I was figuratively at a point where I rolled over on my back, closed my eyes shut tightly, and determined that I would lay there until I could muster the grace and fortitude to get back to it. I remember the Holy Spirit showing me a picture of myself walking down a dirt road with Jesus. Having grown up with a dirt and gravel road running in front of my home, I was quite familiar with the ruts and potholes that are common on streets of this type, so when I saw these along the road in my vision, I knew exactly what they were. I saw myself intently focused on these ankle-breaking holes, determined to walk around them, to avoid them. Try as I might, I’d no sooner sidestep a rut before I tripped over a pothole. I’d get back up, try again, and continue stumbling. And where was Jesus during all of this? He was- wait, where’d he go? Why’d he stop back there? Is he smelling a ROSE?! To shorten the story a bit: The Holy Spirit showed me that I was working really hard at making progress, doing my best to do what was right; yet I was focused on the wrong thing. Life wasn’t simply about arriving at the finish line. It was about living! And there were things along this path that Jesus wanted me to experience with him; things that God had hidden for me to find and to take great delight and joy in; fulfillment to be found; discoveries to be made… and all of this was supposed to occur within the context of relationship with Christ. Therefore, my focus should be on him alone.
So back to falling… My thoughts on the subject… I’m in the “already but not yet” phase of my journey with Christ. I’ve already been reconciled to God and made whole in his sight, but I’m not yet to a place where I perfectly walk that out. So it’s not a matter of if I fall, but when I fall- what do I do? I believe it’s simple: I must get back up.
In the story Gulliver’s Travels, Lemuel Gulliver finds himself shipwrecked on the island of Lilliput
Jesus, may I and anyone else with whom these words ring true have increased capacity to tune our hearts and minds to the gentle voice of love that beckons us to rise and walk; that speaks words of encouragement and edification and life; and may we become more capable of discerning from where come our thoughts. May we rise up and stand boldly and make declaration to the enemy: “You shall NOT succeed!”
