My Picker-Upper

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked. [Proverbs 24.16]

There is much to be considered from this simple little verse in Proverbs!

It says to me that good people will make mistakes. They are likely to trip up.

What I know about tripping is that it often involves pain and loss. Whether it is just a toe stubbed or a full-blown face plant, there is usually pain.

What I also know about tripping is that is can lead to loss. The person who trips carrying a beautifully decorated birthday cake is likely to experience catastrophic loss!

The point is, we are all susceptible to tripping. We are all susceptible to pain and loss.

Does this make "tripping" God's will? No, not at all. Tripping is, almost without exception, our own fault. We get distracted, don't watch where we are walking or running, and invariably trip. Sometimes it is a simple stumble - sometimes it can land us in the hospital.

So, when we trip and experience a bruise, bump, cut, break, or loss, is it God's doing? No. It is our own doing. The pain or loss we experience is not random - it is the result of us tripping. It is not a "lesson" but a "punishment" (if you will) for not paying attention.

We don't like to admit it, but tripping is avoidable. If we are watching what we are doing, we can avoid a trip (and the consequent pain and/or loss).

So it is with sin. Pain and loss in our lives are the results of sin. Whether we know what we stumbled and tripped on or not does not change the fact that the "punishment" (pain and/or loss) is still the same. And, just because we don't know what tripped us up does not mean it was not our fault!

God said He would lead us and guide us. How irreverent is it to declare it His fault if we trip and suffer loss or pain? Loss and pain are clearly defined as punishment in Deuteronomy 28 - punishment comes to offenders (those not "watching what they are doing"). 

To the contrary, those walking in the guidance of the Lord are said to "mount up with wings like eagles (no tripping there), run and not be weary (no tripping there) and walk and not faint (again, no mention whatsoever of tripping). Reference Isaiah 40.31.

Here's the lesson: when we trip, we should not blame God (even if it sounds like we are religiously grateful for the opportunity to learn from a face-plant so God can pick us up). Our trip is not God's doing! Period.

However, when we trip - when we sin, we have an Advocate with God, Jesus, and we can confess our sin AND HE WILL PICK US UP! Read "but they will get up again" above. Why? Because we look to Him even in our bumbling and falling - He is a "picker-upper" not a "knocker-downer". We are fully capable of tripping without help.

To say "God trips us up" (for some random lesson to be learned from the subsequent pain or loss) is to say God causes us to sin! And that is blasphemy in pure form.

How did we ever arrive at such nonsensical doctrines of pain and suffering being the "loving work" of God?

We should think this through the next time we stub our toe and it hurts terribly. Why don't we blame God? Because He didn't do it.

But He will pick us up.

Father, in all due respect, You are my Picker-Upper. Thank You - You are good and Your faithful love endures forever.