Beware Lest You Fall
by Don Henson

The Sabbath service was at a different location because our regular meeting hall wasn't available. I was using a power point presentation for a Bible study, so rather than standing in the middle of the stage I was on the far side so the screen could be centered. After concluding the study I turned to walk away, forgetting I was on the edge of the stage rather than the middle. I firmly planted my first stride on mid-air. In an instant I tumbled to the floor as the congregation gasped in fear and surprise.

No one laughed at my sudden tumble, but for some reason people in general seem to think that falling is humorous. A popular American television program specializes in video clips that they claim are the "funniest" and every episode includes a number of people taking spills of various kinds.

I'm not really sure falling is all that funny. I remember a time when a friend of mine and I were learning to ice skate. We took a break, holding grimly to the rail at the side of the rink. He was just standing there, but suddenly all I saw of my pal was a frantic jumble of elbows, knees and skates punctuated by his wide-eyed astonishment and disbelief. The next instant he lay in a heap on the ice. All right, so falling is kind of funny. So long as it isn't me.

When I fell off the stage I wasn't hurt. I just came away with a bruised thumb and a red face. I've fallen many times. Usually I have time to stumble, lurch and flail while I desperately, and usually unsuccessfully, try to bargain with gravity. But this time it happened in a heartbeat. One moment I was fine, the next I was sprawled on the floor, wondering what had just happened.

My experience reminded me of 1 Corinthians 10:12, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." In the context, Paul is warning Christians to not assume it would be impossible to fall back into the kinds of sins Israel was guilty of committing (verses 6-10). Human nature hasn't changed since Israel's day. We're still vulnerable to the same kinds of temptations. We each have our own particular weaknesses that we struggle to keep in check. If we aren't paying attention to what's happening in our lives, Paul suggests we could be setting ourselves up for an unexpected fall. A physical fall may or may not be funny, but a spiritual fall can be tragic.

In Ephesians 5:15 we're urged to "walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise." The Greek means to be diligent and careful - in other words, "Watch your step." We can avoid the embarrassment and injury of unnecessary falls - physically and spiritually speaking - by remembering Paul's simple warning: "Let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall."