Falling Together

Falling Together

My family and friends can testify that I am spectacularly clumsy. A while ago I was ambling (solo and, I hope, unobserved) along a downtown sidewalk, and I tripped and fell so hard I ripped the knee out of my jeans. (The resulting scab and bruise healed nicely, thanks.) This happens more often than I would like to admit.

Maybe I’m so caught up in what I’m seeing or doing that I’m not attentive to where my feet are going, or maybe I’m just not terribly graceful. In any case, while it’s less embarrassing to fall when you are by yourself, it’s infinitely better to fall . . . together.

Three times in one weekend I lost my footing. But thankfully not for long, and with no ugly scars to show for it. The first time I fell was down an old rabbit hole of hurt when a few sharp and ill-timed words left me wounded and wanting to hide. But I didn’t fall alone. One friend saw and prayed with me. One reminded me that the father of lies was, well, lying to me about myself. A third fed me the dinner I had skipped to nurse my wound in private, three hours after dinner at a beautifully set table for one in the kitchen. Thanks to these friends’ kindnesses to me, I didn’t have to fall far.

The other two tumbles were the literal kind—both on a trail I’d hiked dozens of times before, and in another’s easy company. Once going up and again coming down, I lost my balance and slipped to the ground. Both times I let strong hands lift me back up to my feet. It just works better that way, even if it’s humbling and not particularly pretty.

I’d like to go through life decidedly upright and steady, but I don’t always. I get off kilter and lose my balance and perspective from time to time. Maybe you do too. When I fall, it helps to have good company nearby. It helps to have their prayers, wise words, kind acts, and steady hands. While I’d like to hide my stumbles, sometimes falling together is the very thing that keeps me from falling apart.

Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10