People Who Fall Down and Don’t Get Up

JM Rowland

5, Tichborne Street,

Leicester.

To all at School on 21/1/41

All of us have, I imagine, seen someone fall down at some time or another!

Now, although people fall down in all sorts of different ways and through all sorts of different causes, in nearly all cases there is one thing in common; and that is that the person gets up again.

If a person slips in the snow, they don’t proceed to lie there and say, ‘Oh, if I get up, I might fall again. I might as well stay down.’

They climb to their feet, brush off the snow, replace their hat and continue on their way.

A boxer, when he gets knocked down, doesn’t stay there if he knows he’s got the strength to get up.

He climbs to his feet and goes for the other fellow once more.

And you all know that when you’re playing rugger, if you happen to be getting bowled over a lot, you don’t proceed to recline on the ground, proclaiming that you know that if you do get up you’ll only get bowled over again so you’re staying where you are!

You GET UP.

But although none of us would think of staying down in the physical world, I think perhaps we’re sometimes inclined to do so in spiritual life I should imagine.

We hold onto Jesus and He helps us up.

A Personal Note

I find as I get older, I tend to fall down more often.

Sometimes it has been an indicator of sickness, a few years ago, getting dizzy and falling for apparently no reason, my legs getting heavy so that I found it difficult to climb stairs or even get up from the floor by myself!

People at Baan Reum Jai church will remember that and helping me up!

One time I fell in their car park on the gravel, and even though I tried to help myself up, by holding onto the tyre of a nearby car, I couldn’t get up on my own.

This was due to a sickness brought on by taking steroids by accident, with bad side effects (long back story to this!).

Eventually, after a couple of years, I overcame that, but would often find myself getting dizzy in the supermarket and needing to sit down.

These days I don’t get dizzy, but sometimes trip when I am walking.

I have discovered that this is due to a bunion on my right foot and a fallen arch, which causes my ankle to roll inwards, despite wearing shoes which support it, but I am able to get up, sometimes a hand helps.

Sometimes I twist my ankle in the process and need to rest it.

These days I find I am not so comfortable walking alone, in case I trip, and I really need to watch carefully where I am walking.

Just yesterday we walked to the beach to do some baptisms and I found myself praying and singing to the Lord as I held onto Him and asked Him to hold onto me.

That was just on the footpath and on the beach it got even harder as we walked across the very unstable large pebbles!

I am finding even more that I have to trust Him for every step!

This is not something I’m used to doing, but it’s causing me to draw closer to lean on Him.

The same can apply spiritually, walking alongside Jesus, keeping us from falling, it’s good to have Him walking alongside us and helping us avoid the pitfalls.

But along with Psalm 73 I can echo;

22. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled;
My steps had nearly slipped.

Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

²⁷ For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish;
You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry.
²⁸ But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the Lord God,
That I may declare all Your works.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

It is good for me to draw near to God.