Slip & Fall

So this last weekend my son Noah had a birthday party.  He had invited a number of his friends all over to have a game night.  The party started at 7pm, and since the majority of the guys liked to play football, we started the party with two hours of two-hand-tap football in the open field behind our house.  I was asked to play along with everyone to make the teams even, and we played a number of games and the players on the teams kept rotating. 

It was during the last game that something happened that I didn’t expect.  I was punting the ball during a kick off when my left foot must have slipped and I landed with all my weight directly on my back.  The unexpected fall took me by surprise and knocked the breath out of me.  I took a moment or two to figure out that I wasn’t dead, or at least injured in any major way, and then finally got up and continued playing the game.

I bring this up today as when I was looking back at what had happened one thing really stuck out to me:  When I’m not paying attention it’s really easy to slip and fall backwards.  No, not just when playing a sport, but in my spiritual life as well.  Things in my spiritual life can be going along just fine as I may be praying daily, reading my Bible , worshipping Christ, and talking with others just as God says that I’m supposed to be doing.  Yet, if I take my eye off the ball for a moment, it’s possible that I could slip and fall.

Yet, I don’t think that is the main point that God was trying to show me.  I feel that the main point is that the fall is probably going to happen, no matter how much I try to avoid it.  What is more important is how I get back up after the fall.  If I had slipped and decided to never get back up, what good would I be for my team?  If I fall spiritually and just lay there, what kind of example will I be for the world that is looking at me to see what I’d do? 

Today what I want to impress on you is that you will more than likely have times when you slip and possibly fall.  God knows that.  What is the true demonstration of your character and your faith in God is how to rebound from that slip and fall.  Do you stay there and give up, or do you dust yourself off and get back in the game?  God knows you aren’t perfect and that there will be times when you go down.  What He expects from you is your desire to get back up and keep up the fight for His cause.  To continue the fight against sin.

Are you ready?  Can you get back up again after you fall?  I did, and I hope you can as well.