Ps 119: 105 “Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” (NAS)
Our lives can make us wonder, “Where is the light on my path?” Have you ever fallen on a hike? Most of us have slid down a slope, slipped on the ice to our knees or slapped our body parts on the hard ground at some time.
My friend was going through chemotherapy and still wanted to hike with me. On our way down the path, she slid badly and landed on her tailbone. Painfully she lay there while her body adjusted to a change in position, and then she started to cry from the pain. We helped her up and she still had to get down the mountain even if it required us to slow down and lend a hand. She was in bed for a day and had to sit very carefully for a week to heal.
It happens so quickly; a financial or health downturn, friends or family arguments, or personal crisis of faith and down we go. We are in shock for a time and then may grieve about the change the path has taken and experience the pain of change. But we have no choice but to get up and go on, sometimes with caution and usually we need some human and supernatural support to continue on our path. But we do hike again. Healing does come after a time of rest and reflection and we may find we are more cautious. I know after a bad fall, I wrap my ankle, take a walking stick and look cautiously at safe passage. Cautious, exploring and secure.
What do you still fear after a fall? How does your behavior change after a time of healing and rest? When have you “fallen” and needed help?