It was a beautiful morning. I was walking my dog, Bowie. The sun was rising, and a hot air balloon floated overhead. All was well in the world—until I jumped down from a rock, and my walking stick pierced a gopher hole, wedging itself between my legs, and my forward momentum sent me head-over-heels down the hill.
Channeling my inner ninja, I turned the fall into a tuck and roll, then stood up as quickly as possible before the people in the hot air balloon could see me. Embarrassed, I continued my walk as if nothing had happened. Stop laughing! I could have died.
Have you ever fallen? We all have. But the real question is, what do you do when you fall?
When life knocks us down, we have two choices: stay down and feel sorry for ourselves or get back up and keep going. Which one do you choose?
Here are three things you can do when life knocks you down:
1. Don’t let it destroy you.
2 Corinthians 4:9 says, “We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.” Too often, when life throws an unexpected blow, we let it destroy us. Don’t let that be you.
When I fell unexpectedly down that hill, I could’ve just stayed there. Eventually, I would have died of dehydration or starvation. That would have been ridiculous! At my funeral, people would have wondered, “Why didn’t he just get back up?”
Often, it’s not the fall that destroys you—it’s staying down.
2. Get back up.
There’s a proverb that says, “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” (Proverbs 24:16)
At a wedding, a well-dressed lady walked by me carrying a tray of chicken. Suddenly, her heel caught on the sidewalk, and she fell face-first into the food. As I rushed over to help, she looked up at me, chicken juice dripping down her face, and said, “Don’t I look beautiful?” Then she blew me a kiss.
Despite the awkwardness, do you know what she did next? She got back up!
Falling can be ugly and messy. But do you know what’s worse? Letting it keep you down. Don’t let that be you. Clean off the chicken juice and get on with life. Better days are coming.
3. Hang on to God.
Psalm 37:23-24 says, “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”
Did you know that God delights in every detail of your life? He even delights in helping you up when you fall. He’s the God who lifts us up and puts us back on track.
No matter what life throws your way—whether an unexpected fall or a poor decision—never let go of God. He has the strength to help you get back up and move forward.
Falling isn’t the end. Only God decides that, and he has a better future for you.
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