The other morning I was reading my devotional and the writer shared that in Paul’s writings to the Galatians, it was as if he was holding up a sign that said on one side: “Don’t fall from grace by living under the Law”, and on the other: “Walk in the Spirit”. This resonated with me because over these past several years I’ve been discovering this freedom in walking with the Spirit. I love this, because as we walk in the Spirit, we know we will sometimes fall flat on our face, but we also know we can get up and continue moving forward.

As I was journaling this thought, I was immediately reminded of the time I fell flat on my face while running to train for my first half marathon. It had happened so fast I wasn’t even sure how it happened. However, after I was able to stand up and assess the damage, I came to realize that I had tripped on the sidewalk, propelling me forward. I really wanted to continue that run that day, but upon seeing my reflection and my quickly swelling lip, I decided it was better to rest and pick the run back up another time. I’ve never tripped on that patch of sidewalk again, even though I’ve run that route several times since.

You see, falling is not failure. When we are walking with the Spirit, when we are looking to Him for guidance, we may still fall. We may still scrape our knees and cut open our lips, but because of His grace and mercy we have the space and time to heal. To stand up, dress our wounds, learn from our mistakes, and get back out there. Maybe in the same direction, maybe not. What I’m encouraged by is the knowledge that I am never alone in the moving forward.