The Grace to Continue

"The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.
But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked." Proverbs 24:16 NLT

I was in a wedding rehearsal. I was standing at the usual place where you officiate the ceremony. I watched as a toddler, barely able to walk, made her way up the aisle. She was to be a part of the ceremony. She was a little uncertain about everything as she continued on wobbly legs. Sometimes laughing, crying, stumbling, falling, but always continuing on.

Those in the wedding party were encouraging the little toddler forward. But it was her mother, who sat in the front seat encouraging her, that her eyes would fix on. She would lock onto her mother's face and continue with outstretched arms. Sometimes when she would take a hard fall and just couldn't get up, her mother would pick her up, kiss her, and then go back to her seat ever encouraging her daughter forward.

I got to thinking that's how it is with us on our journey with Jesus. We trip, we stumble and we fall. I think of the man I knew that went bankrupt on Friday and started a very lucrative business the following Monday. The single parents that I know who, at a very young age, have gone through more hardships and loss than many of us will experience in a lifetime. They continue on as shining examples for us.

What is causing you to trip up? Have you fallen? Is it sin, a relationship, a paradigm shift, an unmet expectation, condemnation or something else?

The Bible says that those that have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have become the righteousness of God. We have a righteous standing in God's eyes. He promises that even though we may stumble and take hard falls in this life, He will give us the grace to continue. Continue toward what? To His loving arms. To the place He has prepared for us in heaven. A place where there is no pain or suffering.

So, like my little toddler friend, may you continue to fix your eyes on Jesus in your journey. When you trip and fall, don't fret. Don't lose hope. Trust that He will give you the grace to continue.