Is there something your kids love to do that you absolutely can’t stand? For me, one of those things is ice skating.
My kids love to go ice skating, but I am not good at skating. I don’t like the cold, and I definitely don’t like ice. I don’t even like ice in my drink unless it’s over 100 degrees outside—then I’ll consider it. For me, ice skating is the perfect storm of three things I just cannot stand. But my kids love it, so we do it.
Learning to Hold On
My daughter is really great out there on the ice. She picked it up pretty quickly. Of our family, she’s the most athletic without question. My middle child can hold his own out on the rink.
My youngest is still learning. What he does is use one of those walker things you can take out on the ice. The big thing he loves about it is that when he falls—or feels like he’s going to fall—he has something to hold on to. He knows, I’m going to fall. It’s ice skating, so everybody falls sometimes. And he knows that when it happens, he has something to hold on to.
A Picture of Life and Faith
Life is hard. It’s crowded. Life gets cold sometimes—and I don’t just mean the weather. Stumbles and falls are inevitable, and in those moments, our Heavenly Father is always there to help us back up.
In Psalm 37:24, David writes:
“Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”
Your Stumble Isn’t the End of Your Story
A couple of thoughts on this verse: this was written later in David’s life. He was in the second half of life, and he knew what it meant to stumble. He knew what it meant to live hard for God, and he knew what it meant to fall deep into sin.
Each time, David got back up. It wasn’t just because he was this awesome, exceptional guy—although I think we could agree that he was. It wasn’t because of that. As much as he succeeded hard, he also fell hard. But he was able to get back up each time because the Lord was holding him by the hand.
Sometimes, as adults and as believers, we can frown on the idea that God is holding our hand. That’s what we do with children. I’m not a child. I’m an adult.
But here’s the thing: we all stumble. We all fall. Sometimes, we fall harder than other times. But God is always there, holding our hand—ready, willing, and able to help us back up.
Here’s the big idea that comes out of this passage:
Your stumble isn’t the end of your story.
Your stumble isn’t the end of your story—whether that’s an argument with your spouse, tension at work or with your kids, a habit you’re struggling to let go of, or some sin that makes you say, “I can’t believe I did it again.”
Getting Back Up
Think about one area where you have stumbled recently. It doesn’t have to be big, but maybe it is.
Set aside time to get alone with God and pray: “Lord, You know I’ve stumbled with __. Help me back up today.”
You may have stumbled, but you haven’t been abandoned. God holds you by the hand—and He’s not finished with your story.
