We Fall Down, But

We have come to the end of 2020. I can hear many of you saying that it couldn’t come too soon.  What a year it has been. We didn’t know how many changes we would have to adapt to or how many things we would end up missing. My mom used to say, “You never miss your water until the well runs dry.” The well ran dry and we have a long list of things we won’t take for granted in the future. In many ways, we fell down, and it seemed hard to get back up.

2020 started out as any other year with most of us optimistic. Shortly into the year, the pandemic hit. In the beginning, we didn’t know what that really meant. We fell down, but we got back up and kept going. Then politics started to dominate the conversation and lines were drawn. We fell down. It was a little harder, but we got back up. If that wasn’t enough, racial tensions exploded and we fell down again. We struggled, but we got back up.

In between, illness, worries, financial problems, death, the election and every other issue you could imagine came along, and we fell down over and over. Each time it was a bit harder to get back up, and even now, some of us are still struggling to get fully on our feet. BUT! Whether the wind has been knocked out of us or not, Jesus has been there for each fall. Not once did our falling down stop Him from offering a hand to help us up.

In spite of the pandemic and our emotional ups and downs, Jesus saved, healed, and answered prayers of all kinds. Take a moment to reflect on how He stepped in when you weren’t sure which way to turn. Think about the times He whispered encouragement to you through the kindness of someone or even through a song. It’s easy to focus on what went wrong in 2020, but there were many things that went right.

All of your prayers may not have been answered yet or the way you hoped, but Jesus was right there to help you through each situation. When you were sitting on the ground in utter despair, He had you wrapped in His arms of love. When illness overtook you and you didn’t know where to turn, He eased your pain, gave wisdom to the doctors and healed you. We fell down, BUT Jesus saved, healed and answered prayers.

When we fall down, we cry, “But, Jesus!” It is Jesus that lifts us up, dusts us off and plants our feet back on the right path. It’s Jesus that stood by us late at night through our fears and tears and brought us a new dawn each morning. You might feel down right now and maybe even alone. You fell and you’re not sure you can get back up.

I say to you, “But, Jesus!” He is your hope through it all. He never wanted you to fall and never get up. Call Him, just one more time! Lean into and lean onto His everlasting arms. We may fall down, but we get up because we have the unconditional love of Jesus. Don’t despair. He will give you the strength you need.

“The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down...The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; to all who call on Him in truth.” Psalm 145:13-14, 17-18

Prayer

Lord,

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. Out of Your glorious riches You will strengthen me with power through Your Spirit in my inner being, so that You dwell in my heart through faith. I am being rooted and established in love, so that I may have power, together with all Your holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is Your love, and to know this love that surpasses all knowledge—that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Amen!


Photograph by 📷: Tim Marshall

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