Scripture Reading: Proverbs 24:13-16
“For a righteous man may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.”—Proverbs 24:16
Regardless of who we are, we can go off course or fall. The fall isn’t the problem; it’s the failure to get back up that really cripples us. What if a child concluded the falls experienced while learning to walk were too painful and decided to crawl through life? The child is expected to learn something from the fall, how to get up and eventually how to avoid falls. That’s a life lesson we never grow out of applying.
According to Proverbs, the righteous person may fall not once, but seven times, which really means innumerable times. It’s hard to characterize one who’s had multiple falls and failures as righteous, but that is exactly how they are defined—righteous. Their righteousness isn’t in never falling, but their faith, perseverance and courage to get up again.
The fall isn’t the end of our story nor does it define us—it’s a temporary state not a permanent condition. A commercial showed a woman on the floor exclaiming, “I’ve fallen and can’t get up!” To the contrary, the righteous falls and declares, “I may have fallen, but I will get up!” The fallen can declare their rise again with surety because they know they don’t get up on their own, but by God’s grace.
Don’t just lie there, get up again…
Lesson to Remember: The fall isn’t the real problem; it’s the failure to get back up that cripples us.
“Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The Lord will be a light to me.”—Micah 7:8
