Getting Up Again

For a righteous man may fall seven times

And rise again,

But the wicked shall fall by calamity.

- Proverbs 24:16

I never truly thought I "fell" when I left the church, left God, left my faith. And I believe it was God's way of calling me out of what I thought was a perfectly good life - a way that was gentle, that did not allow the sense of guilt to persist. Guilt was washed away - I was left with awe.

But here I am - laying down on my bed on a Sabbath afternoon, a year or so after He did His thing and brought me out of ignorance that had clouded my vision for many years. And I am rising again. As I rose out of the water today, my sins, my struggles, my fears washed away from me once again I felt revived. A new creation. Born again.

Praise God for His leading of me. All the way my Saviour leads me. Jesus' presence in our lives is littered throughout - even as we read His word, you see Christ acting with and for us. For the opportunity have us in an eternal relationship with Him. He's pushing us to get up again. To rise with Him. To partake in His divine character. To be relentless in our pursuit of goodness. To be stubborn in our love for the truth, the way, the life.

And so here I am. Getting up again. I think that is the message of the gospel: Though I fall, I'll rise again. Micah 7:8 speaks of the reality that I now face - it speaks of the enemy's attempts and the victory of Christ. In my life, my Father is the victor! The enemy's darkness only makes Him brighter. 

I leave you with this beautiful song that has been really a reminder of where I've come from and where I'm going - and a wish and prayer for you to know that it is okay, and it is possible, to rise again.