“for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” –Proverbs 24:16 [NIV]

Many of us may feel difficulty in pleasing the Lord as we fall many times into the same hole of sin. We feel that we are unworthy anymore to serve him at church as worship leader, singer, mucisian, usher, or give testimony in our daily lives. We feel that we would be hypocrites by serving God and also keep doing ‘favorite’ sins. The condemnation is greater when we hear sermons about the end of times which some make us afraid that our salvation can be lost since we fail maintain holiness in life.

The truth is, God’s love is constant and does not depend on our performance. God loves us even when we are still in sin. Surely he has purpose for us to life a holy life and walk in his love. But he also knows that it is a process. There will be times when we can fall. But what makes us difference from the situation before we believe in Jesus is we can rise again and walk with God’s strength after we fall.

God who lives in us has conquered the power of sins that used to keep us in bondage. But we often trapped in our way of thinking that the power of sin is so huge and still in control. As God’s children, we are equipped with God’s strength to walk in holiness. We have already received the power not to do that sin again by Holy Spirit who lives in us.  What he requires of us is don’t give up when we fall, rise again, approach God, and walk again with him.

Many people think that obeying God is so difficult. We feel that it’s impossible to be as perfect as God. Yes, it is hard. God never call us to force ourselves to be as perfect as him now. He gives us a command in which he enable us to do it if we surrender to him. He wants us to trust that his commands will lead us to true freedom and true happiness.

Walking with God should not be a burden, but a delight. Just like a man who goes on a date with his lover, he should not take it as a burden, but a delight.

A motivator named Nick Vujicic was born without a pair of legs nor a pair of hands. Since he was a child, he learned to live independently. When he fell, he did not have feet nor hands to help him rise up. But with a strong determination, he used his head and neck to rise his body up. Everyone can fall, but we can choose not to keep staying on the ground. When you fall, just like Nick, you can do many things to rise up again. In the process Nick rose his body up, he failed a lot of times. But he had no other choice rather than to try again and again to rise up. Now he has built a strong neck muscle because of his ‘little’ training.

The world doesn’t end when we fall. The world can truly ended when we don’t get up again.

If you do not give up, you cannot fail -Unknown

Love,

Leticia

Photos by Jennifer Phelps Photography