Faith to Overcomeنموونە

Keep Rising

Written by Ramon Mayo

Proverbs 24 verse 16 says, “Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.”

Carl Brashear believed, “It is not a sin to get knocked down. It is a sin to stay down.” Being the son of sharecroppers on a farm in rural Kentucky and having only a seventh-grade education didn’t stop him and his dream of becoming a United States Navy master diver. Despite racist threats from sailors at diving school, he pressed on and graduated. Later, Brashear sustained an injury that required the amputation of his left leg. But through strenuous training and use of a prosthetic limb, he eventually qualified as a master diver.

The book of Proverbs says, “Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” Even though we fall down, we don’t have to stay down. Evil people do wicked things to fellow human beings. Yet God wants His people to have resilience and determination to do right as they pursue Him and the calling He’s given them. God’s wisdom teaches us not to “fret” about or “be envious” of those who do us wrong; as He sees it, there’s “no future hope” for people who make a career of evil.

Everyone makes mistakes, but believers in Jesus continue doing what’s right and make progress. We have every reason to get back up and keep moving forward because God is on the side of those who trust Him and persist in obeying Him.

What do you find hard about getting up to keep going after falling down? How do these proverbs give you perspective?

Let’s pray.

Forgiving God, help me to keep going even after I fall.

Amen.