I have 5 kids.  I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve seen one take a tumble.  They fall down.  They jump up.  They go on.  This week one of my littles left something lying on the floor (no big surprise there).  I didn’t see it and I stepped on it.  Before you know it I had landed right on my knee cap and then was face down in the floor.  It was not a pretty sight.

As I lay there wondering if I had broken anything, if I could move or if I had died I realized that I’m not so young any more.  My ability to bounce back like a young child is long, long, long gone.  I don’t fall nearly as often as my kids do.  But when I do, it can be a doozie.  The same is true in our Christian walk as well.  The longer we walk with God, the less likely we are to fall, but when we do…………it can be devastating.

The mistake we make is thinking that it won’t happen to us.  And the mistake others make is not helping us up when it does.  It is often thought that Christians don’t make mistakes, make bad choices or make messes of things.  But we do all of those things.   That doesn’t make us hypocrites.  That makes us human.  Sinners saved by grace.  Hypocrites are those who pretend they are perfect when we all know different.

When my kids fall down.  I help them up.  Recently our family went hiking and my 4-year-old and my almost 14-year-old both fell down.  The 4-year-old jumped up and was on her way.  The almost 14-year-old fractured his wrist.  Truly, who needed the most help in this situation?  Who needed the most care?  Who needed the most attention?  A 14-year-old might have known better than to do what made him fall, but he still fell.  Should I have ignored or criticized in the midst of his pain or just help him in the middle of it?  I’m a good mom.  I helped.

Friends, our brothers and sisters are human, as are we.  They fall.  And the longer they’ve walked with God, the harder the fall.  The more intense the pain.  They make mistakes, as do we.  Some are hard and difficult mistakes that have long reaching results.  But we are all God’s kids and when His kids fall down He helps them up.  He’s a good Dad.  What if we actually gave them a helping hand too……….instead of ignoring or criticizing in the midst of their pain?  I’m just saying.