In all of our lives, we suffer the embarrassment and shame of falling from our horse.  You know what I mean.  Sitting high and straight on our noble steeds, we are riding along our path of life, attempting to serve the Lord and believing that we are choosing His will and way.  When blam! We are struck by a blinding light and find ourselves in the middle of a road eating dust.

Few of us hear an actual voice as Paul did; but most of us understand that voice in our spirit that demands an answer, Why are you acting this way?…or going there?…or speaking in those tone?…or feeling this resentment and anger?

Perhaps it is the acidic taste of dirt or the humility of finding ourselves in the middle of life’s road unable to stand but suddenly our relationship with the Lord becomes clear.  In that instant, we know beyond any academic knowledge that our lives will never be the same. In fact, from that moment, the greatest prayer of our hearts is that our lives will never be the same.

If we are fortunate, God will renew that moment of humility and surrender every day.  Yet, I find that I am never very far from the falling point.  Billy Graham once said that he had found that three things trip up men and women of God.  Money, sex and pride.

His explained that he formed a corporation to take care of the money.  He kept his relationship with his wife current and did not form intimate friendships or allow himself to be alone with other women to take care of the sexual area.  Then laughing, he said, “I find that when I’m even slightly connected to God, He takes care of the pride area.”

This leads me to believe that Graham is intimately familiar with the taste of dirt.  I am praying that the Lord will allow me to see these tragic falls as times of learning and release.  We are told that babies and drunks don’t often hurt themselves when they fall because they don’t tense with the fall.  They are able to relax.

“Learning to Fall” should be a primer course we teach in the church because all of us experience the stench and sourness of defeat.  I’m grateful that the Lord doesn’t leave us alone during the dirty times of life but He is there.  Teaching, correcting and loving.