"Fall"

My brother thought it funny,

When my horse fell down you see,

Said he wished he coulda’ filmed it,

With the horse on top of me.

We were tryin’ to rope a neighbor’s bull,

When at a gallop I went down,

A brush-covered hog-wire fence,

Was why I hit the ground.

And no, I didn’t break a bone,

My horse jumped up okay,

But it really bruised up my old pride,

That’s all I have to say.

And, yes, we later got the bull,

And never missed a beat,

Made a story we could tell,

Bout a time I lost my seat.

Mishaps happen everyday,

Sometimes can cause us pain,

And often teach humility,

And that’s as right as rain.

Sometimes the thing that we survive,

Are blessings in disguise,

Used by God to impart truth,

And all to make us wise.

And even if the gravity,

Wins when cowboys fall,

We get back up, learn what we can,

And keep on ridin,’ y’all.

“The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked.” (Proverbs 24:16, NLT)

Stumbling is part of life and no one completely avoids it. But these times are never wasted for the child of God because we get up and keep on going. Perhaps not immediately but eventually we will learn through those trying times invaluable lessons about how to cope with challenges and rely on the grace of God. Not so with unbelievers. Their troubles are not redemptive unless they turn to the Lord.

Lord, teach us when we stumble, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Blu Dornan, used by permission. Thanks, Blu, and God bless you.