When I was a little girl, if I fell skating and skinned my knees, the result was that from that day on my skates sat in the garage unused. I was down and out. When I fell off my bike and skinned my elbows, then the bike sat by the side of the house unused until I had to use it to get somewhere. I was down and out!

Eventually I had to learn how to fall and get back up and not be afraid to get hurt again. In life, all of us fall on our faces from time to time. We fail to get into the school of our choice. We fail to get the promotion we worked really hard for. We fail to keep relationships intact, enduring the pain of ruptured relationships.

We may be down, but we do not have to be out! Jesus stands there with His hand outstretched, willing, wanting to lift us up and help us back on our feet. In the process, we have an opportunity to learn the vital lessons that often come from a fall.