Learning from a Fall

Although we do not remember it, we all learned to walk. There was a second or two of teetering and tottering before plopping to the floor. After each fall, we would be grinning, sometimes crying, but we kept at it until we reached success!

Same went for learning to ride a bicycle, playing sports, or walking on snow and on ice. We all sported scabby knees or a bump on the head from time to time. But that did not deter us from learning the new skill. Even as adults, we can find ourselves missing a step when climbing stairs and embarrassingly stumbling while holding onto the railing, among many other situations. Yet we still know that we can be successful—because we have been walking almost all of our lives!

As adults, we accept falling as a natural, normal part of learning physical balance. Spiritually, falling down from time to time can be more difficult to accept. Yet we are spiritual children (Gal. 3:26), so we can expect to tumble to the ground sometimes.

This hard truth is made plain in Proverbs 24:16: “For a just man falls seven times, and rises up again.”

Notice that the just person, someone who is righteous, will fall seven times. “Seven times” here can be translated “seven times…by extension an indefinite number” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance).

In other words, those who are just—living God’s Way—can expect to slip up many, many times.

The word “falls” in Proverbs 24:16 can also have a variety of applications. We can cause ourselves to fall by committing sin or making poor judgments. Alternatively, the word can also mean to be “cast down” by others. For example, David wrote of his enemies: “You have thrust sore at me that I might fall” (Psa. 118:13).

So whether we are hit with a trial or we cause ourselves to fall, the key to our spiritual growth is what we do when we tumble and get a mouthful of dust. Often our natural reaction—simply out of mere comfort—is to lay down on the ground and wallow in misery. But the last part of Proverbs 24:16 reveals the road to success: “rise up again.”

The one thing that will determine whether we continue in God’s way of life until the end and qualify for our role in His Kingdom is whether we get back up after we fall and try again!

Getting Up

Imagine slipping and falling while out walking on the street and then declaring, “I give up. I’m tired. I feel miserable. I will just lay here in the dirt on the pavement forever. I won’t even allow anyone to help me up.” Meanwhile passersby must step around us on their way past because you refuse to move.

Absurd! Anyone in this situation would get up quickly to avoid embarrassment. We should act the same after a spiritual fall.

If we fall into sin, we must repent. We have cut ourselves off from God, and He will not hear our prayers unless we turn back to Him (Isa. 59:2). When we go before Him to ask for forgiveness, He promises to remove our sins from us “as far as the east is from the west” (Psa. 103:12).

A dangerous mindset can occur in which we become discouraged from failing to overcome habitual sin. If you feel you are making slow or no progress, this is a signal to seek ministerial counsel. The dangerous alternative is to become overwhelmed with guilt, which can cause you to throw up your hands and give up trying to overcome.

Never allow this to happen. Remember that God expects us to be merciful enough to forgive others 70 multiplied by seven times (Matt. 18:22)—a hypothetical way of saying infinitely. If we do this, we can expect Him to be just as merciful toward us.

If you are going through a trial—whether a sudden challenge that arises or something you have been enduring for a while—prioritize reaching out to God for help.

A Christian’s life is filled with tribulation. But God promises that, as long as you do not quit your calling, you will never be forced to fail.

Psalms 37 iterates this promise: “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord…Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand” (vs. 23-24).

The phrase “he shall not be utterly cast down” can mean “to cast out.” God will never cast us out of His begotten Family because we have sinned, so long as we continue to repent. Like any loving parent, our Father wants us to succeed and is always ready to help us back up when we fall. We simply need to ask Him for help in prayer.

The same applies to trials. Psalms 34:19 promises: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

The apostle Paul was a testament to this promise. In II Corinthians 4:8-9, he wrote about the difficulties he and those who were with him faced during their ministry: “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed…Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” No matter the amount of challenges, he knew God would not allow them to utterly fail.

We also have God’s promise that He will not try us beyond what we are able to handle (I Cor. 10:13). If it seems that way, He even promises to make a “way of escape” so that we can bear it.

Our ultimate enemy, the devil, wants us to give up. But our Father will never give up on us—He wants to see us in His eternal Family. We should not give up on Him.

Learning from Our Falls

Normally after falling, we dust ourselves off and check for cuts and bruises while thinking over what just happened. This spurs us on to learn what caused the fall and to be more cautious to avoid making the same mistakes over and over.

Falling spiritually should be the same. It gives us the opportunity to consider where we may have gone wrong so that we do not encounter the same problem again. Each of these days of adversity in our Christian walk is a time to deeply consider our steps (Ecc. 7:14).

When in a trial, consider what active steps you need to take to get out of it. God will ultimately deliver you, but He wants you to learn and grow spiritually from the experience. He also expects us to do our part in resolving the situation. A principle we can follow during trials is to do our part as though everything depends on us, while trusting God knowing that everything depends on Him.

If there is sin involved, you should feel spurred on to work more diligently to remove it. Temporary remorse is not enough—you need to ask God for true repentance.

Falling into sin always involves particular people, places and items. Think about your surroundings and events that may have triggered your actions or thoughts. Think: How did I come to slip and fall here? Once you have identified those triggers, avoid them to ensure you will not fall into the same situation.

Overcoming sin involves removing bad habits that cause us to fall and replacing them with good habits. For example, if you find yourself straying onto inappropriate content on the internet, avoid using your devices at those times and read a book instead. If you are wanting to lose weight, plan out your meals for the week and be sure to eat before grocery shopping. Also be sure to avoid the aisles with unhealthy foods that tempt you. “Foresee the evil and hide” yourself (Prov. 27:12) with any person, place or situation in which you have fallen before.

Just as physically falling can cause cuts and bruises that take time to heal, the effect of sin can be a penalty that persists. For instance, we may change our eating habits but could still experience ill health from a lifetime of complacency with our diet. Over time, these wounds we cause ourselves from falling can gradually heal, but they serve as a lasting reminder and opportunity to consider.

Sometimes our mistakes can cause damage to others. If this happens, we should sincerely apologize to the person and do what we can to mend the situation and relationship. Being reconciled to our spiritual siblings is necessary for God to be pleased with us (Matt. 5:23-24) and is a necessary part of recovering.

Moving Forward

Having gotten back up and learned what we can from our failures, we can restart our forward progress. Every day of this life is a new day and a new opportunity to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Pet. 3:18). Over time, we should see a pattern of improvement as we grow in God’s Spirit, make wiser decisions and become more effective at resisting the temptation to sin. We become steadier at maintaining our Christian walk.

Yet even Olympic athletes fall occasionally. As we become more expert in being followers of Jesus Christ, we will still sometimes do the same. No matter how long you have been a Christian, this can be discouraging—but be encouraged by the fact you are still on the path to God’s Kingdom.

It is important to put your past mistakes behind you as you move forward. Paul wrote to the saints at Philippi: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind…” (Phil. 3:13).

We, like Paul, should leave the past behind us and, “reaching forth unto those things which are before…press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (vs. 13-14). That prize is the glorious goal that should motivate us to get up with renewed vigor, no matter how bad the fall!

The awesome promises in Revelation 2 and 3 made to the seven eras of God’s Church are addressed to “him that overcomes.” Read these amazing elements of our future reward: Eating of the tree of life in the paradise of God and the hidden manna; no fear of the second death; earning a new name in the God Family; rulership over the nations; white raiment of perfect righteousness; our names written in the book of life; being made pillars in God’s Temple and living in new Jerusalem; and sitting with Jesus Christ in His throne.

What awesome rewards!

On entry into God’s Kingdom, we will finally be made perfectly sinless and will never fall again. We can and will attain this prize.

Until then, we will fall from time to time. Deal with it! The key is to rise up quickly from the ground, learn from it, and keep moving forward!