I fell recently.
I was strolling our littlest in our neighborhood when somehow my right foot landed on top of the right, rear wheel of the stroller. The wheel kept rolling and so did my right foot, landing me with a forceful thud on my left knee.
It hurt badly, but as I slowly stood up I could not help but be filled with gratitude that I’d managed to hold on to the stroller as I fell. You see I was walking down a very steep hill and was still near the top when it happened. I couldn’t help but acknowledge for a moment how horrible it could have been had I lost my grip.
But I didn’t. I held her fast.
It was about seven years ago that my husband was walking down the stairs holding our one-year-old son, when his foot slipped and he fell. He tucked our baby against his chest as he went down, holding him as closely as he possibly could as he rode the stairs down on his back. Thankfully our son was unharmed and my husband, though sore and bruised, suffered no significant injuries.
We hold on to our children at all costs, don’t we?
We hold their hands when they are little and we hold their hearts when they are big. And though we may not always do it perfectly, we hold them with all of the strength and love our hearts can contain.
As I’ve nursed my banged up knee this week, I’ve thought more and more about my fall and how life is full of them—the physical kind where we end up with scrapes and bruises sure, but even more so, the emotional, mental, or spiritual kind where our hearts end up battered and broken.
Falls in this life are inevitable. Some happen quickly. Others may leave us feeling as though we’ve been falling forever with no end in sight. Some falls sting for a bit. Others leave a deep and painful ache. Regardless of the type, may we never assume that because we’ve fallen, we are not still held.
Thankfully my daughter wasn’t hurt when I fell though I feel certain she felt the jolt of the stroller as it came to a sudden and clumsy stop. Years ago my son wasn’t hurt either, but I’ve no doubt he felt the turbulence of the fall as he rode down protected from the worst of it by my husband.
Being held doesn’t always prevent the fall.
Sometimes we may wonder where God is when it seems we’ve been flat on our back and hurting for some time. We may question if He is present…if He really cares.
If He were holding me, this wouldn’t have happened. If He were near, this wouldn’t be. Yet as parents who would do anything to protect our children, it’s clear that falls happen even when we are there, even when we’re holding them.
How much more tightly does a perfect Heavenly Father hold on to His children?
Let’s never assume that hardship means God’s absence.
Let’s never assume that life’s falls mean we aren’t held.
We are never promised a life free of trouble; however, we are promised God’s faithfulness.
God doesn’t let go of His children.
You are perfectly held.
You are perfectly loved.
He will never let go.
