What If I Stumble—And Fall?

Oops!

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal. Isaiah 26:3-4

I did something embarrassing Sunday afternoon. Something I haven’t done since I was about five years old. I tripped and fell. In public. Where everyone could see.

We were at the dirtbike track where Josh rides. Maybe my baseline frayed dirtbike nerves had gotten the better of me since two riders had already gone down with broken bones. Not a typical Sunday afternoon at the track. Sure, wrecks happen. But this was a first. While EMS attended to a kid with a broken ankle, another guy crashed into a downed rider and fractured his femur.

Josh getting air

So, I guess it’s easy to understand how I wasn’t on top of my game after holding an IV bag and offering encouraging words to a boy and his dad while EMS did their thing. Another mother prayed while the boy clutched her hands and cried as workers removed his boot to look at his twisted, broken ankle. It comforts me to know if I’m ever absent when my child really needs me, other mothers would step in and do their best.

The injured were transported to the hospital via ambulance, and riders returned to the track. I’d caught my breath, or so I thought, and continued to pray for the remaining riders. (I get serious prayer time in at the track!) J

Two days later

I turned to step onto a wooden platform and tripped. I couldn’t just take a step to regain my balance like I could on a level surface. I stopped abruptly with my shins pinned against the platform while my upper body kept going. I went straight down, landing hard on my hands and knees. I felt my right shoulder give, but thankfully, it didn’t dislocate. Then I did what everyone does when they fall. I jumped up and acted like I wasn’t hurt. LOL. Like my mom always says, my dignity hurt worse than anything else. I’m sore now, of course, but I’m very thankful I didn’t break or dislocate anything.

The path of the righteous is level; you, the Upright One, make the way of the righteous smooth. Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Isaiah 26:7-8

Wow! What a tremendous thought. The path is level for the righteous. Cool. That means as a Christian, I don’t have to worry about spiritually stumbling and falling. Right?

Sadly, no.

No matter how hard we try, we can’t be righteous. We’re going to stumble spiritually and take falls, sometimes hard falls. Self-imposed falls. Public and embarrassing falls. Hidden falls where only our hearts sustain the pain.

Other times, life just reaches up and grabs us by the ankle and brings us to our knees.

The good news is—Jesus’ blood cleanses our unrighteousness. God’s comforting hand rests on our shoulder when we’re lying on the ground, with skinned knees, a busted shoulder, or a broken heart. Then He reaches for our hand and lifts us back up onto a level, smooth path. His path. A solid path. As Isaiah proclaimed, He is the “Rock eternal.”

I pray that if you haven’t done so, you’ll embrace the One True God and His Son, Jesus, who died that you might be righteous in God’s sight. Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation for those who live in Christ Jesus. What a tremendous promise to claim!

What rough path have you traveled recently? If you’d like prayer, please leave a comment so others can pray. You can do so anonymously if you prefer, or email me confidential requests. I’d love to pray for you.

Would you take a moment to pray for Hunter, a 10-year-old boy bitten in the face by his own dog a few weeks ago? The bite took half his face off. By the grace of God, the tear duct and nasal passage were intact, and doctors were able to re-attach his face. Over 2000 stitches. This little boy and his family desperately need our prayers as he goes through a difficult healing process!

May God richly bless each of you as you seek to discover His path for your life.

Shalom,

Laura ✞

©Laura Hodges Poole