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.

Walk no More in Darkness

     Darkness closes in.  Nations warring, governments betraying the people's confidence, economies crashing, and families and individuals breaking down; no matter what our personal circumstances, these form a tangible part of our reality.  A casual dose of the daily news or twiddling your thumbs through history class is all it takes to realize that today's moral instability rivals, and likely surpasses, even the worst of all historical societies.  Without a light, we easily lose ourselves and despair in the darkness.  Despite overwhelming blanket of darkness in our society, we can confidently say that humans are still humans; and just as the weaknesses of society begin with the individual, so do the healing of souls and the restoration of peace begin with the individual.  

     The shortcomings of mankind have not changed, just the quantity of those shortcomings - the saving and strengthening remedy is the same as it has always been; it is the Atonement of Jesus Christ.  The light that pierces through the darkness to show us a better and a safer way is Jesus Christ, and there is no other way beside him by which individuals, families, and nations may be saved.  Speaking to the people of the Ancient Americas, Christ commanded, "Therefore, hold up your light that it may shine unto the world.  Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up - that which ye have seen me do," (3 Nephi 18:24). 

     I am a witness of the Living Christ, I have found peace in him and his miracles are evident in my daily life.  I know that he truly loves each one of us and pleads with the Father on our behalf that we might be permitted to enter into their presence.  He has taught us the way to live and the way to die, and his light shines forth as a beacon to us all; if we heed his invitation to come unto him and obey his word, we shall have eternal life.  I feel a great need to hold up the Light of Christ unto all the world; in this blog I will record many personal experiences and lessons learned in my continues journey along the path illuminated by that beacon.  

     I am an active and practicing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and I delight in sharing my faith as well as learning from the faith and understanding of others.  It is one of my greatest desires to have a more perfect knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and his Atonement.  I welcome all questions, insights, and personal experiences that you will share with me.  

    Here I raise before you the light I have received, if there are any of you that read this who feel downhearted, guilty, fearful, sad, or confused; the invitation is to come unto Christ and let him take your burdens upon his back.  Submitting our will to his, he gladly carries us through the Gethsemane of our lives.  He suffered more than we are capable of suffering for that very purpose, so resolve today to no longer walk darkness.