THE ANATOMY OF A FALL

“Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12 (NKJV)

Trips to the doctor these days involve interminable questioning, courtesy of nosy bureaucrats.  One of the routine questions goes something like, “Have you fallen recently, or do you feel as though you are unsteady, and do you fear that you might fall going about your daily activities?”  I usually blow these questions off as aggravating time wasters.  Not anymore.

I fell a few weeks ago.  I had my foot propped up on a light stool, applying some antibacterial cream to my knee (it’s a long story), and when I finished I casually dragged my foot off of the stool, but, instead, I took the stool with me.  I fell backwards and landed on my seat.  Fortunately, I ended up on a carpet covered wooden floor.  It was a hard fall that shook me up enough to go to the ER the next morning.  The pain increased overnight, and I felt I needed some x-rays to see if I had broken or fractured any bones.  The examination showed no fractures, but I had considerable pain from jarring my vertebrate disks along with bruised muscles. Since I was alone in my own bathroom, at least I was spared from public embarrassment.

I saw my family doctor a few days later and told him what happened.  He said that muscle injuries are often worse than breaking a bone.  When I fell, I instinctively twisted my body, and my muscles tightened up to protect my bones and internal organs.  It is as though my muscles sacrificed themselves for the sake of  my vital bones and organs.  Four weeks after falling, I could readily attest to the accuracy of the doctor’s words. 

How in the world is a fall possible?  First, it doesn’t even cross your mind that one minute you could be standing, and the next minute you would be a heap on the floor.  After it happens, you mentally retrace your steps and discover that you were in control of everything right up to the point when you lost control.  (Makes sense.)  Your position, your balance and your firm grip on the air around you were intact until you made a stupid move.  It was that split second when you abandoned your safe position that you wish you could have back.  Oh yes, the “if only” game!  Sorry, but the laws of physics take over immediately when you lose control.  Chaos, disaster, and devastation exist on the other side of a paper-thin barrier separating safety from danger, serenity from panic, upright from prone—and it’s scary how fast it happens.  You are on your way down before it registers on your brain that you are about to experience a catastrophe.

If a fall in the physical realm behaves this way, I began thinking about the parallels to a spiritual fall.  I’ve seen people maneuver themselves into iffy situations, coming perilously close to danger, but they seemed to be negotiating all the variables with ease.  “I’m fine, pastor.”  Suddenly, the bottom falls out.  They didn’t relinquish their control deliberately.  They didn’t plan on falling—they just didn’t entertain the possibility that it could happen.  Their first mistake was risking a move that had disastrous consequences should they make a misstep.  It’s like the aerialist who flies through the air without a safety net, or the daring driver who ventures onto the freeway without buckling the safety belt.  Arrogance serves as a sure precursor for tragedy.  It’s when you think you are okay that you run your greatest risk.

Those who fall spiritually always attempt to mitigate, cushion, or interrupt their downward spiral by human means.  Divorce, jumping into a relationship, a fling, a major move, getting into debt—anything that promises to protect them from landing in brokenness and despair.  It’s mind-blowing what people will do in response to a crisis.  Some have even resorted to violence, embezzlement, blackmail, or other crimes as though malfeasance seemed like the ideal way to attain some shred of peace.  Invariably, the attempt not only fails, it compounds the problem many times over.  The painful paradox is that mistakes always seem like solutions before they occur. Wise is the person who foresees regrettable decisions before they happen.

King David represents the classic example of a calamitous fall.  First, he put himself in a compromising position, in direct line of temptation’s fire.  He then fell helplessly and headlong into an adulterous love affair with Bathsheba.  (Never underestimate the coercive powers of human emotion.  It is a hook in the jaw of common sense.) When he realized the colossal blunder he had just committed, he stupidly and heinously ordered the murder of her husband, Uriah, as though it would resolve his problem.  In an additional, little known irony, Uriah was a member of an elite group of bodyguards of David, a.k.a., David’s mighty men. (2 Samuel 23:39).  David not only committed an egregious crime, he suffered a self-inflicted blow.  Seven major tragedies occurred in David’s life and legacy as a recompence for his sin, the last of which was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of David.

The worst piece of advice you can get is the tongue-in-cheek catchphrase, “it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission.”  When you fall, you may get forgiveness morally or theologically, but logistically and realistically, you will go through a long and painful recovery, at best.  Your injury may be so great that you may suffer permanent scarring or deformation.  My physical fall healed for the most part, but I continue to deal with the consequences in my back.  A spiritual fall may forever affect your eligibility for leadership, your moral authority, your relationships, and your self-esteem.  Although you will always have access to God’s love and grace, you would still have been far better off never to have fallen in the first place.

A spiritual fall must be anticipated.  Do not ignore danger signs, do not take chances with your spiritual welfare, and never presume that you are immune to the realities of life.  Also, the higher you fly, the harder the crash.  The devil plays no favorites.  The best way to avoid the fall is to understand that it is always a possibility.

“This charge then, I am laying upon you, Timothy, my son, according to the predictions formerly made concerning you. Fight the good fight in the spirit of these predictions, keeping fast hold of faith and a good conscience; which certain individuals have cast aside, and so made shipwreck of their faith.” 1 Timothy 1:18-19 (MontgomeryNT).