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Falling With Grace

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I haven’t always been in a wheelchair. But even when I could walk, it was with an awkward, exaggerated gait. Because of my disability, my legs were weak and wobbly. In fact, I’ve had a lot of experience with falling. Some episodes were a bit humorous. I laughed the time I fell backwards into a laundry basket. I also laughed when I lost my balance and rode on an escalator sitting down. The lady who turned around to help me seemed quite perturbed by my laughter, but sometimes we just have to laugh at ourselves. And then there was the time the wind blew me over! Perhaps the most embarrassing episode occurred in a grocery store where I was shopping alone. I had just gotten my cart when for some unknown reason I found myself on the floor. Helpless, I looked at a gentleman nearby and literally said, “I’m crippled, and I can’t get up.” I wasn’t laughing then, but now it is kind of funny.

On my wedding day, during the lengthy time of taking pictures after the ceremony, my legs suddenly gave out and I plopped down with my wedding gown bunched around me. I sat there, looked up at my loving husband, and said, “Paul, I need you!” He knew from the start what he was getting into. (Well, maybe not everything…) Through our years together, if he saw me struggling, he would say, “If you’re going to fall, fall with grace!” Ha! As if I could control how I fell.

Not all my falls are funny. I’ve had my share of injuries and broken bones. But I appreciate the encouragement found in this Scripture verse:

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way, though he fall he will not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand.
–Psalm 37:23,24

In the Amplified version the last phrase is translated: the Lord is the one who holds his hand and sustains him. This is God’s grace extended to us. So perhaps I can fall with grace!

But this verse is about more than a literal, physical collapse. It’s about our journey through life, specifically our walk of faith. Sometimes in our walk with the Lord, there is an unexpected bump, something that causes us to stumble, blows us over and knocks us down. And there are even times when an old habit or obsession beckons us, and we trip over temptation. Even in those times, God is there loving us, and His grace is there helping us. The fact is that sometimes we mess up, sometimes we fail, and sometimes we fall. The Apostle Paul reminds us that God’s grace is sufficient for us, and he also tells us that we “are never abandoned by God, we get knocked down but we are not destroyed.”–2 Corinthians 4:9(NLT)

The college I attended had a sloping sidewalk that went down from the dorms to the classrooms. This usually wasn’t a problem for me, except one winter day it was. The sidewalk was slick with ice. My feet flew out from under me and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get back on my feet. A strong, rather good looking young man came to my aid. He pulled me up on my feet, but my feet slid out from under me again, and again, and again. Finally, he picked me up and carried me to where I needed to go! This is just what grace does for us! Grace lifts us up and helps us get to where we are supposed to be.

When I fall, I am not falling alone. I am falling with grace. God’s grace is right there with me.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
–from the hymn Amazing Grace

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Down to My Level

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The young man who married my granddaughter is quite tall. Standing several inches over six feet, he towers above me as I sit in my wheelchair. And Will likes to hug. Whenever he says his goodbyes to the family, he goes from person to person giving a big hug to each one before going out the door. When it’s my turn to be hugged, he does something different. He gets down on his knees! He comes down to my level. He does this so it is easier for me to reach him and hug him back. It’s very special to me.

Getting down on someone else’s level is a good thing. It helps us to connect with each other. We do this with children. As we physically get down on the floor to play with them, it enables us to interact with them and makes them feel important. Even if we don’t literally, physically go down to their level, we do it figuratively as we play their simple games, pretend with them, and use our imaginations. Children respond to the person who is willing to put themselves on their level. And so do I.

As we just finished celebrating the holiday season, I have been thinking about Christmas and what the birth of that baby in a manger really meant. How easily we read the Christmas story and quote the Scripture: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” But this was Jesus, the very Son of God, coming down to my level! He did it to reach me, and so I can respond to Him in return! How far did Jesus go to come down to my level? Way low! In order to reach me, He was made “lower than the angels”. He became one of us.

C. S. Lewis puts it well:

The Second Person in God, the Son, became human Himself: was born into the world as an actual man–a real man of particular height, with hair a particular colour, speaking a particular language, weighing so many stone [pounds]. The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became not only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a foetus inside a Woman’s body. If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like to become a slug or a crab.
–from Mere Christianity

The Creator of the universe, the One who created us, became part of His creation! It’s amazing! It’s unfathomable, unbelievable! It’s a mystery. Why did He do it? Why would He lower Himself to this level?

He made himself nothing by taking on the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient unto death–even death on a cross!
–Philippians 2:7-8(NIV)

Motivated by His love for us and in an effort to embrace us, to have a relationship with us, He didn’t just reach down, He came down! He came down to my level and I am so glad He did!

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Do You Have Ears?

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My two youngest grandbabies are close in age. Born a few months apart, they are both somewhere midway between the age of one and two. They are discovering more about themselves and learning to communicate. They are both learning the names of their body parts and it’s a fun game to play with them. Willow, who is actually my great granddaughter, is quite exuberant about it. She grins with glee and points triumphantly when asked “Where’s your nose?” or “Where’s your mouth?” But she’s really cute when asked about her ears. She takes both hands and tugs them out for you to see!

My grandson knows this game, too. Johnny doesn’t live near me, but I get to enjoy seeing his progress and talking to him through video chats. Recently, during one of our chats, I asked him “Where’s your nose?” He pointed to his nose and said, “nose”. So I asked, “Where’s your chin?” He appropriately touched his chin and replied, “chin”. Then I asked, ” Do you have ears?” And he startled me by saying, “No.” I chuckled, because it was cute and unexpected and funny. But it also caused me to think of another, somewhat similar and more serious question. That is, do you have ears to hear?

Little boys often had their own thoughts and while pursuing them did not always hear what you said. Many people of all ages were hard of hearing in all kinds of ways.
–from the novel Kingdom Come by Daphne Simpkins

The above quote reminds us that it isn’t just the ‘hard of hearing’ who are hard of hearing. I mentioned this in my previous blog post, I Hear You! In that post I wrote, “But it isn’t just those who suffer from hearing loss that do not hear. There are other reasons that people fail to listen. It has to do with focus. When a person is focused on themselves it affects their ability to hear.” Distractions, such as television and cell phones, also affect focus and can keep people from hearing. But sometimes the reason people do not hear is simply because they don’t want to!

The expression “Talk to the hand!” accompanied with a raised hand in front of the face blatantly makes this clear. The unspoken and implied part of that statement is “cause this face ain’t listening.” It means you might as well talk to my hand, because I don’t want to hear what you’re saying! Sometimes people will cover their ears and make a lot of noise with their mouth as a way of refusing to hear. One Sunday morning I noticed a lady in the congregation sitting with her hands pressed over her ears. When I asked her about it after the service, she told me she didn’t want to hear what the preacher was saying. We may not literally cover our ears, but many times we do close our ears to what we do not want to hear.

Usually if someone refuses to listen, it is because they don’t want to hear another viewpoint or be given advice or receive any instruction. But quite often it also means they don’t want to hear the truth. This is especially true in spiritual matters.

Thomas Jefferson made his own Bible. He cut up his Bible, eliminated the portions he didn’t like or didn’t want to believe, and pasted the remaining verses into another book. This cut up version of the Word of God (It’s only the New Testament.) has actually been published and is available for purchase! This is a prime example of refusing to hear God’s truth.

It isn’t always easy to hear God’s voice. We can get it all mixed up. But sometimes the problem is our unwillingness to hear what He has to say. Sadly, many of us do not have ears to hear from God. From the very beginning, God longed for the people He created to hear Him. As much as we want God to hear us, He also wants us to hear Him!

From the Old Testament prophets to the last book of the Bible, God implores His people to hear Him. The book of Jeremiah is filled with pleas from God for them to hear Him, and over and over again the response is: “but they would not listen”. Jeremiah calls them “foolish people… who have ears and hear not”. One of the saddest verses in the Bible is Isaiah 28:12. “God has told His people, ‘Here is a place of rest; let the weary rest here. This is a place of quiet rest.’ But they would not listen.” (NLT) I wonder what blessings we miss, because we refuse to hear.

Do you have ears to hear? In the book of Revelation there are several verses that repeat the exhortation: “He that has ears, let him hear…” The New Living Translation words it this way: “Anyone with ears to hear must listen..” We all have ears. The question is: are we willing to hear God?

Who among you will give ear to this?
Who will listen and hear…
–Isaiah 42:23

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The Word of the Year

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At the end of this past year Merriam-Webster announced what they considered to be the word of the year for 2023. Their choice was based on the increase in the number of searches online about that particular word. That word was “authentic”. It’s a great word that speaks of truth and honesty. If something or someone is authentic, they are the real thing, not a fake or reproduction. In this world of facade and deceit, it’s not surprising that people are searching for authenticity. But that was last year’s word. What’s the word of the year for 2024?

There is a popular trend now of choosing “your word” for the new year. Instead of making new year’s resolutions, people now choose a word to be their focus for the year ahead. Perhaps one word is more nebulous and easier to keep than the specifics of a resolution. But I like the line from a poem called “One” that says, “One word can frame a goal” (author unknown). It’s not a bad idea. People’s choices include words like hope, believe, courage, balance, rest, trust, wisdom, and strength. The word for the year is up to you. It’s your word, your goal, your focus.

I was not planning on choosing a word for the new year, but this year a word found me! As I was reading my Bible one morning several weeks ago a single word caught my eye and there it was, my word for 2024. CONTINUE!! This is my word of the year, because there are times that I don’t want to! I don’t want to continue, because I just don’t feel like it and I’d rather just give it all up. Fear and doubt, discouragement and weariness can get in the way sometimes. I wouldn’t be surprised if you occasionally feel that way, too. But when I struggle God has a way of nudging me with Scripture, encouraging me with song, and speaking to my heart.

The high school I attended had a public speaking class that every student was required to take. One of the assignments was to recite a poem of our choice. My friend chose a poem called “Keep A-goin’!” (I remembered the title because I thought it was such an odd poem to choose. However, I don’t have a clue what poem I used, so maybe her choice was better than mine!) I decided to see if I could find it and here it is:

The more I read that quirky poem, the more I like it. It speaks of a diligence and a positive attitude that no matter what comes our way, we need to keep on going with life.

To continue is not always easy. But it is what we must do! It’s also called perseverance, longsuffering, and commitment. This is especially true of our belief in God and what He wants us to be and calls us to do. The Bible exhorts us to “hold fast” and to “stand firm”. My husband used to tell our children to “Buck up!” Don’t quit! And, most importantly, don’t give up on God.

Here is the Bible verse that gave me my word of the year and instructed me to continue:

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
–2 Timothy 3:14,15
(It’s the KJV because that’s what I was reading at the time.)

Do you have a word for this year? I would love to know about it. If not, I recommend the word “continue”.

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