Taking a fall is no fun at all.

And how much worse when the whole world is watching?

Okay.

Maybe not the entire world, just an audience of 1.92 billion (I looked it up).

This particular wipeout took place during the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

After spinning around on your bottom like that, I imagine it’s a real challenge to rise and finish the routine.

But that’s what they do.

They fall, and then they get up.

In spite of the self-loathing.
In spite of the humiliation.
In spite of feeling like a failure.

They just get up and continue on.

Sound familiar?

It’s the story of our Christian lives.

The Bible says:

Those who are right with God are continually falling short and continually getting back up.

Thankfully, the Lord’s not looking for perfection. He knows us better than that.

But when we do miss the mark, He does want us to rebound quickly.

Whether it’s minor or major, there is no failure on our part that can disqualify a child of God from getting back up, continuing the program, and overcoming in the end.
 
It’s our destiny—thanks to Jesus’ death on our behalf, but it’s certainly not our natural inclination, is it?

More often than not, when we fall flat on our faces, spiritually speaking, we sink into despair.

Why even bother, we lament to ourselves.

And then comes that inaudible, ugly tongue lashing from our bruised and merciless egos.

You’re a loser. See?
You’re never gonna make it.
No one likes you anyhow.

Shouldn’t you have this down by now?

Yeah, bunch of lies.

And we’re never more susceptible to the devil’s misinformation campaign than in the wake of fresh awareness of our weakness and failures.

You hurt your spouse.
You cuss in a frustrating moment.
Your trade your faith for fear.

Your heart happily leaps back into the cesspool of sin.

Yeah—a slippery slope we sinners must climb as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Doesn’t take much to knock us off kilter and down we go.

Ask Peter.

His grand moment had arrived. Time to put his life on the line for the Lord he loved.

But when push came to shove, he got thrown down by a twelve-year-old servant girl:

The crowing of the rooster served as the background music as Peter was hurled downward toward the cold hard ice in utter disgrace.

And as he spun out of control, he felt the kind of despair for which there are no words.

And how did our Jesus treat him after that?

Was he written off, castigated, or stuck in the penalty box?

Nope.

The risen Lord expected him (and us) to rise. That’s what we do. We sometimes fall, but we always rise.

Jesus fixes this repentant brother breakfast, and in the glow of a better fire, bids Peter to get up and finish his program.

And like Peter:

Our sins are forgiven.

Our slipups are covered.

Our shortcomings are expected

And failures can be even useful.

They keep us humble, dependent on God, and loving grace instead of loathing ourselves.

With each failure and its corresponding encounter with mercy, comes fresh determination to fall less and rise more quickly.

His love for you is undeterred by your continual weakness.

After all, He knows all about it, and He carried it to the Cross.

And you keep getting up.

So come on. Rise and shine.

God is rooting for you.