After the Fall

AFTER THE FALL

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Romans 3:23

The story of Humpty Dumpty sitting on the wall and having a great fall is filled with lessons.  If you try to perch on a wall you will eventuallyfall.  The wall may be a great place to gather your composure, renew your focus, or rest for awhile.  We can only straddle a fence for so long, eventually we will fall backwards or forward.

 The period that began after Adam and Eve disobeyed God is referred to as after the fall…  The fall implies that they ventured beyond the God appointed boundaries.  They experienced circumstances that they would have been protected from.  I wonder has everyone had an “after the fall” moment.

As a freshman on “the hill” I was told by a male upperclassman, that there were two types of women on campus: those who had fallen and those who would fall due to fabulous footwear.  I found this to be true. One day after my class was over I was heading for my car.  My left foot slipped and instantly my right hand went down to break the fall.  It happened so quickly that I was back on both feet with the skill of someone auditioning for a James Brown contest (Michael Jackson, Usher, or Bono, according to your age).

My books were still in tow and I never stopped or looked back. I only missed one step.  In fact, only the people who were walking right behind me (if anyone was behind me) knew I had fallen.  I never looked back, so to this day I’m not sure if anyone was behind me.  My recovery was quick. There were no obvious bruises, unless you count my ego, and I continued to my destination.  I have found my life to mirror this moment.  God has an amazing way of being such an awesome Healer that although my life scars are “real” and not egotistical, I can share them and marvel at His handiwork.

There is no fall too great that God cannot break and no pit too deep that He cannot deliver. Sometimes we can be pushed, coerced, or simply climb into a pit.  Regardless of who, what, or when it happened for all intents and purposes, it’s still a fall.  I found that Jesus not only loves me but He’s the One who comes for me, His love always finds me.  He’s not scolding me.  All the things I’d imagined He’d say He doesn’t. Why didn’t I fight back to keep from being pushed? Why did I allow myself to be deceived and take my eyes off Him? Why in the world did I climb my silly self into the pit?

He sits with me in my agony and distress, wipes away my tears and says, “let us get out of here”. He lifts me up and puts me back on my feet.  He allows the moment to teach me and He instructs me to stand in victory. It really doesn’t matter if I spent ten years or ten minutes in a pit, it’s still a pit. I have been in a pit.  I’ve fallen while trying to scale the fence.  May I never take my salvation for granted because it is the gospel of grace that lifted me! As the hymnal says, “Love lifted me, when nothing else could help, love lifted me”.   He used His love to flush my unforgiveness and fill me with His love and compassion.  He alone heals deep wounds.  He exposed the holes in my hemorrhaging heart and He gave me a heart for Him.

Quite naturally I’m attracted to sin.  I was born this way--smack dab in sin and fashioned in iniquity. When I got off Humpty’s wall, when I began to move forward the gospel of Jesus Christ began to reshape and transform me into what I was not. I am becoming who I could never be through my own efforts.  I’m overcoming by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony. Jesus did not change my desires, He changed me! Sin had me bond but He set me free. Without a doubt I just know He loves me so much.  He changed my desire! My heart’s desire is to be where He is.  True change, lasting change starts on the inside and penetrates to the outside.  After the fall, Jesus changed my life!