We Fall Down
By Shandra Newcom of Boulder, CO, USA
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. -Matthew 5:13-16 NRSV
One of my favorite songs, written by Kyle Matthews, includes these words:
We fall down, we get up
We fall down, we get up
We fall down, we get up
And the saints are just the sinners
Who fall down and get up -xc2xa9 2005 Universal Music Publishing Group
These words resonate with me. I am forever falling down. I make mistakes with relationships; I mess up in my job; I struggle in my discipleship. With all this falling down, one would think I might just decide to stop getting up. But here’s the thing-I’m not the first one who had to get up. When I reflect on the resurrection of Jesus, I come to the awareness that his rising has laid the path and I, a Jesus follower, am called to walk it.
It’s not easy.
My community is filled with a lot of discord and disunity, and this has been true for some time. Somehow I think we’ve forgotten to give each other the space to fall and then the support to get up. When I have fallen, I have received compassion from my community which makes me respond to others who fall in the same way. Sharing compassion and empathy are key components to spiritual life, and when we support each other as we fall and rise, we are given the perfect opportunity to share these with one another.
It is all grace. The grace of God is woven through our falling and rising and we respond with grace ourselves. In today’s world, that’s hard to do. But the call of grace grows ever stronger as we learn of one another’s falling and rising through story, social media, television, and written word. We are connected in ways we never thought possible, and we are still so far apart.
The grace is in the community. The compassion is in the connection. The hope lies in resurrection. We are one. Sinners and saints. We fall down. We get up.
Prayer Phrase
Spirit, now live in me.
Spiritual Practice
Breathe deeply and enter a few minutes of silence. Be attentive to where you sense new life emerging in you. Search your memories of the previous day. When did you notice the sacredness of life in surprising places or forms in the world around you?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
