One of the
speakers said something amazing. He told us that when his son was learning how
to skateboard, he bought him some elbow and knee pads as well as a helmet
because falling was part of the process of learning how to use a skateboard. He
said; similarly, “Falling is part of the process of learning how to walk”.
I thought of how when
teaching kids how to skate, we teach them as soon as they step on ice how to
fall down. This way, they learn how to get up as well as learn that falling is
part of the process of learning to skate.
The same is true for so many
areas such as riding a bike or a horse. And each time that someone does fall,
they are told to immediately get back up and try again. This is just part of
the process.
So why, the speaker pondered
out loud, do we not allow new Believers in Christ to go through a process of
learning how to walk? Why not almost assume that they will fall and instead
teach them how to get back up and keep going?
Why do we insist on telling
them (or at least imply) that once a person makes a decision to follow Jesus by
confessing with their mouth the Lord Jesus and
believing in their heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead, they will be
saved from falling?
Why not
instead tell them that Jesus will continue to work on your life and that
sometime along your journey you may slip or even fall? Why not tell them that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified
freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans
10:23-24 NKJV)
In the Christian walk, we all either slip, fall, or have the possibly of doing so at some point(s) along the way
so why not admit it and help the newbies to understand that it is just part of
the process and that they need not be afraid or discouraged when it happens?
Or are verses such as; “For a righteous man may fall seven times and
rise again” (Proverbs 24:16a) reserved to encourage someone who has never
struggled that he should get back up?
I think that this insight
would have saved me a lot of times of distancing myself from the Heavenly
Father; from whom I hid myself when I sinned, even though He longed to be in
relationship.
Too many moments and days and
months were spent in a long distance relationship with One who gave His very
life to provide a way for me to spend time with Him by demonstrating His own love toward us, in that while I was in my sin and didn't know Him, Christ died for me. (Romans 5:8)
And He did it KNOWING that I
was a sinner and KNOWING that I was fallible and would push past the roadblocks
that He set up top provide a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13).
All this He did KNOWING that
falling was just part of the process of me learning to walk.
Because He did it for me, I
want to learn how to encourage others away from discouragement of their own
fallibility when they forget that falling is part of the process of learning to
walk. So get back up and keep walking; we all have more places to go in Him!
Dear Pastor, Very good comment! However, many of us DO realize that God loves us and is the Only One who is big enough to allow us to have do overs. It is the people and pastors in church who will not give people a second chance, nor a hand to pick oneself up; on the contrary, these very people put their proverbial foot on the neck in order to keep the wounded down. It is not God, but the people in church who is quick to speak, slow to listen, and quick to condemn. Yes, the church has fallen; but perhaps, the church should stay on the floor and humble ourselves before the Great I AM, and ask ourselves, is it I, Lord? Have I done such a thing to my brother?
ReplyDelete