| Psalm 73:2 | | Print | |
| Written by Kym Hindt |
Imagine being in an elevator full of “professional people,” the doors open to your floor, everyone moves around to let you out, and—not realizing the elevator didn’t quite close the gap between itself and the floor—you step out and trip on the lip of the floor…aggh…Stumbling! How embarrassing! It can happen anytime, anywhere. We never intend to stumble; something we didn’t see or something under the carpet happens to catch us as we’re walking. And when it does…arrgh! We try to pick ourselves up, laugh about it with everyone else; but if it could have been avoided, it would have! In some ways, the road to heaven can be very similar. It is surrounded with slips, stumbling, and steep places, not to mention enemies waiting with that proverbial leg stuck out to catch us off guard. It’s kind of like walking in the back hallway behind the Living Room, near the last classroom. There is an elevation under the carpet; I know it’s there because I have stumbled over it many times! If I’m not paying attention, I’ll trip! I have to train myself to walk that way cautiously, remembering where it is. Beloved, it’s the same with some areas of our life. If you know you have a specific place of stumbling—loose lips, gossip, anger, worry, materialism, procrastination…your own back hallway—be cautious! Ask the Holy Spirit to keep you alert to its trap. I love what Peter exhorted in 1 Peter 4:1–2, let the memory of your failure in the past keep you from repeating it in the future. In other words, one of the great deterrents against sin is a healthy memory of the cost of that sin. Proverbs 22 tells us the wise woman studies how to walk, but the fool goes her way stumbling over the same thing! Beloved, don’t be a fool! Watch carefully…the way you walk! Listen, these feeble knees can barely support our weight…especially in heels! How much more when seeking to carry the burdens of others and minister to their needs. The first step to steady walking is watching our way carefully. What if I discover a pattern of stumbling in my life? Is there any hope? Whenever I have tripped in public, usually someone will kiddingly say, “Way to go…GRACE!” It’s meant to be funny; but the fact is, when you stumble in your Christian life…it’s a great thing to remember! Beloved, as you come to God with scraped knees and a bruised ego, confessing your carelessness and sin, understand the Spirit of God is there to pick you up, restore you and whisper…it’s cover in GRACE! It’s God’s grace that picks you up, it’s His grace that will keep you from stumbling eternally, it’s His grace that keeps you moving forward, His grace that watches over you, His grace that will use this stumbling to strengthen you against another fall. Beloved, no matter how sinful you’ve been, no matter how much you have stumbled over the same thing, no matter how your lusts drive you and the world entices you, come to the throne of His grace, and you’ll find grace to help in your time of need! Know that He is tireless when it comes to you, His love is endless, His grace immeasurable (Romans 5:20). Remember that…the next time you’re walking in the world—and you begin to stumble! Against me earth and hell combine, |