Falling Upward

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall."

-Confucius

Christ Walking On The Water

Julius Sergius von Kleve

FALLING UPWARD

Children stumble and fall as they learn to walk as men walk; men stumble and fall as they learn to walk as Christ walks.  If we find that we aren't falling, it may simply mean that we've not yet stood up.  Children are not punished for falling, but rather their parents applaud their efforts.  We are not punished for falling; rather Christ rejoices in our efforts to walk in his footsteps.  I once heard it said that "Christ allows us to hit rock bottom so that we can realize He is the rock."  Punishment is the natural result of our choice stop trying, to stop getting up.  Such rebellion against continued effort will eventually cause us to stop falling, but only because we will have become lower than all things; when we stop falling, we stop rising upward.

Falling upward is a phenomenon that is foreign to the natural laws taught to us by science.  Even our examples above demonstrate that getting up is a separate event from falling down.  The human race first progressed by falling. "Adam fell that man might be," (2 Nephi 2:25, emphasis added).  I don't know how to explain it, but despite the fact that I sin, or fall, every day; when I look back from time to time I see that I am on higher ground than before I fell.  Somehow, falling itself empowers us to progress in a way that climbing alone cannot do.  Author, James L. Ferrell phrased it this way, "the humility of those who found happiness by falling down rendered the pride of the world powerless," (Ferrell, Falling to Heaven).  This happiness in falling is found only when we fall at the feet of Him who redeemed us, even Jesus Christ.  It is by grace that we are lifted upward when we fall.

The lyrics of Josh Groban's song, "Let Me Fall," illustrate this relationship between falling and progressing.

"Let me fall

Let me climb

There's a moment when fear

And dreams must collide

"Someone I am

Is waiting for courage

The one I want

The one I will become

Will catch me. . . .

"Let me fall

If I fall

There's no reason

To miss this one chance

This perfect moment

Just let me fall"

"Teach-repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin . . ."

(Moroni 8:10).  As we grow and learn, our accountability, or responsibility, for our mistakes and sins increase, and the consequence of falling is greater.  If we were left on our own without the aid of the Atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, any fall would be fatal - we would have been better off if Adam and Eve had remained in a non-progressing state in Eden and had we never existed.  The good news, though, is that Christ paid the price for all of our falling ways, and He only asks that we obey Him.  He has commanded us that we come unto Him by repentance and baptism in His church and that walk in accordance to His example and teachings.  By His sacrifice we are strengthened to obey, and we are forgiven for our failures.  The greatest challenge is simply to choose Him and commit in heart and mind that we will continue to choose Him throughout our lives.  It is that commitment that allows our dreams of becoming like our Father in Heaven and living in His Kingdom can overcome our fears when the moment of collision takes place.  Let us commit to Him.

One might ask, "How can one who is perfect truly understand the struggles and pay the price for one who is capable of committing sin?"  We must again look at the criteria given by the prophet Moroni, "those who are accountable and capable of committing sin," (Moroni 8:10, emphasis added).  Those with enough understanding to be accountable for their actions are capable of sinning.  Christ had a perfect understanding of all things, thus He was perfectly accountable for every action he made.  As I see it, Christ was more capable of sinning than any of us, and even still He perfectly demonstrated a life without sin.  If there is anyone that can teach us of limited understanding how to live without sin, it is Jesus Christ.  Fall before Him and see how your life turns upward, oriented toward

salvation and exaltation in the Kingdom of God.