The Gift of Falling Down

By Sheila Walsh Published on February 22, 2016

First there is the fall, and then we recover from the fall. Both are the mercy of God!
 (Lady Julian of Norwich)

My mother took great pride in one particular porcelain vase. Twice a year it was carefully carried from the glass cabinet where it was enshrined. It was washed, polished and placed back on display.

Once it was safely back in place, my mom would remind her three children in hushed, almost holy tones that this vase had been “passed from generation to generation.”

One day, when no one else was home I thought it would be fascinating to hold the vase … just for a moment. I found the key to the glass cabinet and very carefully lifted the vase out and held it up to the light. It seemed almost translucent as the sun sparkled across its surface. It was quite beautiful.

As I turned from the window to place the vase back in the cabinet I fell over Tiger, our cat, and the vase shattered into a thousand pieces!

I considered my options.

1. Run away from home

2. Attempt to glue the vase back together and pray that mom’s eyesight would begin to rapidly fail

3. Run away from home

4. Tell mom what happened and position it as a funny joke about the cat?

5. Run away from home

I was ten years old. I had no decent options.

So that night after dinner I decided to come clean.

Mom, you know that old vase that’s been passed from generation to generation? Well … this generation just dropped it!”

I don’t remember what my punishment was but I still remember the agony of looking at the broken pieces that afternoon, knowing that I couldn’t undo what I’d done. The fall had destroyed what was beautiful.

Paradoxically the exact opposite is possible with our spiritual lives. The fall can destroy who we thought we were and in the broken places, the rubble, we find true beauty.

The fall can happen through loss of finances, relationship, health, the things we thought made us whole and strong, or a thousand other ways. In these devastating places we discover that the words we once read have become the places where we find refuge and rest.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” (Psalm 34:18 NLT)

If you are in a broken place today don’t hide the broken pieces. Falling down means a beginning, not an end. Unlike my mother’s vase, your most beautiful days are ahead of you. Invite God into your pain and sit with Him there for as long as it takes.

I’ve discovered it’s quite remarkable what God will do with a broken life if you give Him all the pieces.

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