Risk of Fall
But those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. – Isaiah 40:31a (NRSV)
On July 10, 2019, Zaheer Ali had an unthinkable accident, and consequently spent months in the hell of trying to save his leg. He shared: “Part of my rehabilitation involved re-learning not just how to walk, but how to live with (and manage) the risk of falling.”
With every step, something within us is working with the risk of falling.
Who hasn’t fallen at some point in life? Consider a toddler. We toddle—which involves quite a bit of falling—before we walk. Falling is encoded in the act of walking.
But what do we do with that risk? Do we keep moving? Or do we stay still?
Zaheer’s ordeal helped him to realize that he, like so many able-bodied people, had taken walking for granted. But now, he considers the blessing of every step. And in that consideration, he invites us to take a moment to step with purpose.
His instructions: Study the context. Consider all options. Make a plan for how to succeed … All before taking the first step!
We still might fall. But when we step forward in the Lord, when we take the time to wait on the Lord, our very help in times of trial, then God will bear us up.
That’s the road before us. The promise of our faith.
Your strength is coming, beloved.
Prayer
Thank you for bearing me up on eagle’s wings, God. Selah.
About the AuthorKaji Douša is the Senior Pastor of The Park Avenue Christian Church, a congregation of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the United Church of Christ, in New York City.