Although a righteous person may fall seven times, he gets up again, but the wicked will be brought down by calamity.
Proverbs 24:16
As I wrote this, the heats for the Americas Cup were underway in Bermuda. One day there was a spectacular 'whoops' for Team NZ. What I admire about this team is that they said that it was not the end of them but they would be up and running again. The next day they were up and running again in spite of great difficulties.
If you have not had a whoops in your life then you would be in the minority by a large mile! Most of us have fallen, but strength of character and conviction is seen in whether we will get up again. We have all seen amazing stories of failed businessmen, students, politicians, even scientists, inventors and many others who have eventually made a great success of their life because they have refused to be defeated.
What I have observed through life, particularly my own, is that when Christians fail, they often beat themselves up so badly that they won't get up.....or at least take a long time to do so. What a lack of understanding we have when we do that. Do we think that because we are now 'in Christ' that we will never make a mistake again? Apparently, by some strange warp of understanding, some of us do! But what's worse is that we think, in some deep recess of our mind, that God is upset, disappointed or even angry when we fall. That is so untrue. He knows that we are frail. Jesus experienced what it was like to be human in a fallen world. Hebrews 4:15 ....... (He) understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. In fact God isn't even surprised when we fall.
This verse in Proverbs 24:16 talks about a righteous person. This is not a person who is good and kind and helpful, but a person who is made righteous through their personal relationship with God. It says that though they may fall many times they will get up again. To get up again is to show that we believe that God is not surprised, disappointed or angry. It is believing that He is a loving and forgiving God who, in fact, will help us to get up when we ask Him. We don't even need to try and pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, but just be humble enough to ask for His help.
Next time you have a whoops in your life, be nice to yourself, trust God, ask for help and get up! In fact to fall is to be human and it keeps us humble. It also teaches us to be kind to others who fall.
