I’m intrigued by stories of survivors. Is it possible to survive a free-fall from the Sears Tower in Chicago? The answer is yes. Or what if you fulfill a lifelong dream of skydiving and your parachute fails, could you survive the fall? The answer is still yes. The Wiki How-To manual says, “Hundreds maybe thousands of people have fallen from such heights and lived to tell the tale.”
You and I can increase our chances of survival by putting to use a few helpful skills. We literally trip and fall as we walk through life, like toddlers who move from cruising the couch to the first wobbly steps on their own. Or consider the woman whose arms are loaded with must-have sale items—the leather soles of her boots hit the freshly waxed floor and, as if she’s stepped on a skateboard, her feet slip out from under her. Accidental falls happen when we least expect them and leave us surrounded by a mess.
Beyond the literal, physical ways we trip, teeter, or collapse, life brings change and challenges that can move us out of our comfort zones. Facing emotional, spiritual, or physical challenges can plunge us into aimless descent. Ever feel like you’ve been tripped up by an addiction, tormented by shame? Slipped up by doubt? Or fallen headlong into depression? God is near and waits for us to ask Him for help to get back up when life knocks us into a downward spiral.
God wants us to reach out to Him in times of difficulty, doubt, despair, depression, disappointment, disease, destruction, divorce, discouragement, domestic violence, or death. God’s hand is extended to us. His will for us when we are down and out is for us to turn to Him and ask for a hand up. He asks us to lace our fingers with His. God’s will for us is completeness and wholeness. God wants us not just to survive, but thrive! Psalm 145:14 says, “God gives a hand to those down on their luck, gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.”
Let’s pray: Dear Lord, thank you for reaching out to help me get back up. I choose to hold on to you. Thank you for giving me a hand, for giving me a fresh start and for allowing me a second chance. In Jesus’ name, amen.
You can read more about survivors, overcomers, and how our great God reaches out to you in my book, Get Back Up:Trusting God When Life Knocks You Down. If you have a survivor story, I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below.
All my love and prayers,
Sheryl
“God’s various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God’s Spirit. God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all.” 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, MSG