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Falling

by Jerry Ousley  
5/30/2014 / Christian Living

When we moved to where we now live I was delighted that there was a TV antenna tower located just off the back side of the house. We were on a tight-string budget and the cost of cable was prohibitive. Satellite TV was still in the dream stages. We had a fair sized antenna and I was determined to get it up on that tower. We dutifully purchased a good rotor unit so that we could turn the antenna allowing for the maximum reception and I got that put on without incident. By now, because you never take all the tools with you that you need, I had made several trips up and down that wobbly tower.

It was time to put up the antenna. I extended all the elements because it would have been a chore to do it from atop that tower, and began my ascent. Arriving at the top I tightly held on with one hand and with the other tried to lift the antenna in place. All that had to be done was to slip it over the extension from the rotor unit then tighten a couple of screws, and that was it. I had already attached the antenna wire which extended to the ground so I wouldn't have to try to do that from the tower too. I tried several times but I just didn't have the strength to lift the antenna into place. I climbed back down to rest and then tried again.

I had to come up with a different plan. I took an old belt and fastened it around the one holding up my pants and then tightened it around the tower. I thought that this might let me use both hands to lift the antenna into place That didn't work! I had lowered the antenna back down intending to get to the ground one more time. I was half-way down when all of a sudden my head began to swim. It was getting darker and I realized that I was nauseated and felt like I was going to pass out. Thank God I didn't and regained my senses enough to get to good old "terra-firma." That was it. I tried to make another trip up the tower but from that moment on, me and heights became enemies. I never made another trip up that tower; at least not to the top. I climb it about a third of the way up to clean the gutters around it once or twice a year but that's it!

Thankfully my brother didn't share my new found fear of heights and he came over and put the antenna in place for me. It's still up there even though we haven't used it in years, and unless I hire a professional or get a friend to help me, it will be up there until it rots off, or blows off.

Like many of you, I've had dreams of falling from great heights and it feels just like it's actually happening. I'll even wake myself up with a jerk from my feet and legs. Falling is not fun!

We can fall a different way. Micah 7:8 says, "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 knew that the time comes when we all fall. We can fall without slipping away from God. We all slip backwards occasionally. It doesn't mean that we love God less than we did before, and it doesn't necessarily mean that we have turned our backs to Him. It just means that we slipped. Some may only fall slightly while others may fall from a great height. Regardless we have moved in the wrong direction. We may have "fallen off the wagon" in our efforts to overcome a habit; we may have experienced an old fear or let anger overtake us in situations in which we find ourselves. But it doesn't mean that we have "chucked it all in." We haven't necessarily "thrown in the towel," or "waved the white flag of surrender." We've fallen, but we can get up.

Like Micah we can say, "Don't rejoice because I've fallen because I'm getting back up" and by the help of the Lord we can. We don't have to sit where we have fallen and wallow in self-pity or become angry because someone hasn't helped us. We can spiritually stand again. We can "dust off the seat of our pants" and arise to our feet. It may have bruised our egos because others have seen us fall. It may cause us a moment of embarrassment. But what we've got to do is rise up again stand to our feet and say in faith, "When I fall, I will arise!"

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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