We All Fall Down
By: Kristen L. McNulty
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I've had a song on repeat a lot on iTunes lately. That song is We All Fall Down by the Grits. My favourite verse in the song goes something like this:
Most folks scared of the truth,
Living lies
Fooling themselves and everyone surrounding
Deception of perception
Blind to what self did
Deep down, deep down beyond the black hole
Of the soul in control
To the naked, untrained eye
Who can't see time fly by
Revolving on a carousel
Living life like a modern day fairytale
Slow mo, urgent message gets a no-go
What for
Can't nobody tell you
Everything is lovey dovey
Till your plans fall through
They all fall down.
One of the reasons I love this song so much is because it reminds me of a very eternal truth- we all fall down. To some, this isn't a popular message. You see there are a lot of people who live their lives always pretending that everything is a-okay. And the sad thing is, a lot of them have said this for such a long time that they actually believe it.
Their finances are out of control, but no, everything's perfect. They are in a terrible relationship, but no, he's my prince charming. They're watching their parents split up, but hey, everything is great at home.
In running from the truth, they are living a lie. And when you live a lie long enough, it changes your perception. Suddenly since everything is so "perfect", approaching God becomes a little awkward. Because how do you approach the One who knows everything and pretend that you're not a mess and that things aren't spinning out of control? And as a result, how can God help you get back on track when in your own mind, you're in control and you think you're doing a great job of it?
The truth is, we all fall down. We all have times in our lives when things aren't perfect and we can't hold the ceiling from caving in on us any longer. But that's where the beauty of redemption comes in. When we fall to our knees and find that someone much stronger is sheltering us from the debris. The same God who went to Calvary for our sins is more than capable of walking through the mess of our lives with us. We all fall down, but with God, we all can get back up again.
There's a key though- we've got to admit our need for Him. Which is why living a lie is such a problem. Because if you believe your life is perfect and you can handle anything that comes your way, pride stops you from asking for help. So the mess builds up around you, but still you don't see a need to ask for a helping hand from God or anyone else.
But Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. He knows our mess. He knows the condition of our hearts. And He's ready to cast a lifeboat our way the second we admit we need His help.
So today if you're caught up in believing that you've got it all together, do yourself a favour and examine your life. Is it really perfect? Or are you ignoring the symptoms of your mess or blaming it on something or someone else? We've all got baggage. We've all got scars from the past. But there is no shame in that. Shame is only found when you fall down and stayed there because you refused to ask for help. Yes, we all fall down, but when we let go of our pride and turn to God for help, we all get back up again.
So ask Him. And you'll be amazed at what He can do with a life that's willing!
This devotional was aired as a part of the Making A Difference Christian Radio Show.