By Matt Nichols

If you recognize the title of this article then you may know where it is from. Originally it came from a commercial for life alert. It showed an elderly women falling and saying this phrase. If you ever watched Family matters there was a certain character that also used this phrase form time to time when he would fall. I only bring this up because at times we can be the “I’ve fallen and can’t get up” generation. We think that if we mess up once it’s over, that there is no way to stand again. It can be something that is easy to fall into and not get back out of. Though we may think this it is not the truth.

I always have liked the parable of the prodigal son. In the parable there is much that can be learned. One of the most important things that I think should be learned from it is that we are never at a point where we can not come back to God.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” Luke 15:17-20.

This passage shows that he realized that his Fathers servants had it better and he decided to go back. To use an analogy he had fallen into a life driven by his passions and greed and that had led him to a place that was not what it was cut out to be and instead of staying there he got back up. There are many passages like these that show that no matter how far gone a person is as long as they want to get back up they can. So if we ever think we can’t get back up it means we don’t want to. If we wanted to we could! If that is the case then we need to get are “want to fixed” as a dear friend of mine used to say. We need to desire to get back up and when we do God will meet us as we are approaching and help us to accomplish it! It is important that we always remember that after a stumble we can get back up and God his holding his outstretched hand waiting to help us. We don’t have to do it all on out own by our own strength. So if you have fallen or stumbled recently, get back up and get back to serving God because we can if we only really want to.