Falling down

Falling down is a part of life. It starts for most of us as babies.. we yearn to move! To be mobile, moving, and free! We set off on our journey with one goal in mind: to get from point A to point B. Often the object of our desire is a prize or reward, a treat, toy, or the applause of adult onlookers who cheer us on like they’ve bet on the ponies at the track.. we crawl, scoot, roll, or toddle on until we have almost reached the destination, when the unthinkable and unimaginable happens: we fall. A hushed silence spreads over the room like a fresh fallen snow in the dead of winter. All watching wait for our reaction, will we cry, amble up to our position, right ourselves and continue, or will we simply stop. It has all the elements of a Dallas episode that, at the climax of the plot announces: to be con’td!

What now? Such begins our lifelong journey of falling. What about when we fall emotionally? Or perhaps spiritually? Disappointments are apart of life, and none of us are promised a scuff-free existence. But what do we do in the thralls of these “falls”? A promotion we didn’t get, a diagnosis we don’t want, a marriage that dissolved, a promise that was broken…just something that sets you back, takes the wind from your sails, or just brings you to your knees. All these have the potential to happen if we are breathing! We are down, but, this is the key: do we stay there.

I like to read the Bible. It has a lot of fallers and mistake makers, and just folks in general that screwed things up on a pretty regular basis. Man, can I relate! So King David was one of these dudes. He couldn’t start a forest fire with a pile of dy wood and a fist full of matches! He got it wrong a lot! But, he was pretty humble, for the most part and would be the first to admit he jacked things up. And when he did fall, he didn’t lay there very long before he got up and ran to God saying, “Oh Father, (Abba, daddy, God) I screwed up BIG TIME and I need you to come fix my mess!” I picture God doing a face palm and then helping his kid, like all of us would do!

So here we have these choices that I’m always talking about us having. Stay down, stay mad, stay hurt, stay broken? Or cry out to God and ask him to rescue us, whether we are a victim, had a drivers seat to our own demise or Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events. Getting up is hard, staying down is costly. As I continue to write about these 2 options,…..to be con’td….. 

 

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Life is a trip, take only what you need

All of our life experiences, good and bad we carry with us. They are packed away into the suitcases of our mind. Many things factor in as to what kind of baggage you have. Upbringing, age, school, boyfriend/girlfriend, marriages-all get put in the bags we drag with us. Some of these things are fond memories, for others it’s a tortured reminder of destructive situations we’ve experienced. Think about some of the bad….like runny, stinky (______) oozing out from all sides, smelly, rotting. We try to wipe it up as best we can, but, even with our best efforts, happy smiles and all the camouflage, we can’t keep it from running out.
As a follower of Jesus, I feel as though I am supposed to help people unpack. Yes, God provides the shower, towels and fresh clothes, but we are called to get dirty. Go where Jesus went, say what he said, act like he acted..in fact, not judge. We are all sojourners in this trip called life, to help out, not call out, and genuinely care. Dirty, filthy crap.
So, sanctimonious and vicious attacks will not be apart of what I’m called to do. I may cuss (still) I have tattoos, I fail and miss my mark every day, but eh, I get up, wipe off and come along side of people who I may need to get dirty with.