JESUS came for the “felled down”
The day was warm, and so we decided to go on a hike, enjoying the day we had received. Most often, the evening darkness comes too early for a hike at the Reservoir, but a Saturday afternoon provided abundant sunlight for a hike around the lake.
Our daughter, my husband and I, and Maple (the golden retriever) began our trek on the trail that would give us all four the exercise and rejuvenation that only a hike can bring. Many others saw the beauty and warmth found in the day, for the trail was busy, but not so packed that we couldn’t enjoy our time.
Time passed as we made the two-mile hike, and we were walking the final leg of the journey when a family approached. Suddenly, the little girl darted over to the side of the trail, stepping into the leaves rather than staying on the sand-packed trail. As she did, down she went, slipping to the ground. Like most children, she popped up quickly, smiling as she did, and exclaiming with a child’s giggle,
“I felled down.”
We smiled at her child-like expression, noticing how quickly the underbrush made her fall, how quickly she rebounded back to her feet, and how quickly she was to voice the obvious.
In the Bible, we see the obvious as we are given the simple truth! While in a conversation with Thomas, one of His disciples,
“Jesus said to him,
(The Gospel According to John 14: 6 NASB)
“I am the way,
[making the path to heaven clear ]
and the truth,
[JESUS said to the one who doubts, who grapples to understand the enormity of faith]
and the life;
[JESUS explained the enormity of Salvation]
no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
- So we ask—
- Do we think our life is worth saving?
- Do we believe in God’s love?
- Do we see the life-line the Lord has provided?
- Do we understand the way & the truth to receive Jesus? &
- Do we want to receive eternal life found only through the Son of God?
There is only one way—
There is only one truth—
To receive eternal life—
And it can only be received through JESUS!
Just as the child we met on the hike at the reservoir,
- I am the one who will one moment be walking beside you on the street, and who when the surface changes, the one who falls down on the sidewalk after stumbling and not lifting her leg high enough to step.
- I am the one who will step outside the front door while talking, and mis-step down the front steps, falling down to the grassy yard.
- I am the one who will mentally say, ‘I hope I don’t slip,’ as she places her left foot on the top step and then slides all the way down the upstairs’ steps, bouncing all the way down to the landing, waking the household in the early morning hours.
- I am the one who will walk alongside a colleague, but slip on the ice, cracking her head on the blacktop, while he remains surefooted and upright.
- I am so like the little girl on the hike, exclaiming to the world: “I felled down.”
Maybe you too also cry out: “I felled down.”
- WHO do you personally know who will be there beside you when you fall?
Maybe you too struggle to remain upright as you walk through this life.
- WHO do you call when you stumble?
Maybe you too can relate to the temptations that seem to cause us to fall.
- WHO do you know, WHO LOVES YOU, despite even though you exclaim: “I felled down.”?
Maybe you too know the Savior & Redeemer who offers Mercy, Grace, & Forgiveness.
There is SOMEONE, JESUS CHRIST who came for those who “felled down”!
JESUS CARES FOR THOSE WHO SINNED, THE “felled down.”
JESUS FORGIVES THOSE WHO NOW STAND “forgiven & covered by the shed blood of the Lamb.”
May we exclaim to all who will listen—JESUS came for the “felled down.”
May we cry out to all who have stumbled in life and fallen—JESUS came for the “felled down.”
May we reach down to help up the fallen and say—JESUS came for the “felled down.”
May we tell the world—JESUS came for US, the “felled down.”