I fell down.

When we stumble, it is so embarrassing! Once I was rushing to a college class and as I reached the top of the stairs, my shoe caught the lip of the top stair and I went sprawling like a baseball player trying to make a base. My arms, which were loaded with books(no backpack)flew out to catch my fall and I laid there in front of several students who were waiting to get into classes. Oh! I was so embarrassed. One nice young man quickly came to my rescue and helped me up and another one bagan to gather my up notebooks and textbook. It is really funny to recall NOW, but at the time I just wanted to vanish. When we stumble IN LIFE though, due to heavy burdens or mistakes we have made, we must know that the Lord somehow relates to us and comes to us to help us up. He really does relate to us. He did not fall due to his own carelessness or misjudgment; he fell due to the weight of OUR GRIEFS AND SORROWS. This pain was placed upon him by US. The weight of mistakes and sins can feel heavier than a physical weight. Jesus really does know how it feels to fall. Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. I love what the psalmist David wrote in Psalm 145:14. The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. Don't lose heart; keep trusting. Don't assume that since you have fallen you are without help. Pride can keep us from asking for help. Pride is a lousy friend. James wrote, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. James 4:10. Jesus is right beside you holding his hand out to help you up.

I hate pain, but it can be a gift.

When you hurt deeply, it hardly matters to you who sees or hears your cry; you are just desparatly needing help. While in heavy labor trying to deliver a baby, it matters not who comes in the room. All you think about is getting that baby out and getting relief of pain. While pinned in a car after a car wreck you don't worry about how messy your hair is or how horrible you look, you just want to be cut free and given medical help. Pain humbles us. Pain humbles us a lot. As we read the story in the Bible where Hannah cried out with such anguish that Eli the high priest, thought she was drunk and apparently struck her (marked her mouth) in disgust. She was not drunk, she weeping for a child. She was at the end of her own strength; her pride did not matter anymore. She decided that she would either hear from God or she would die in pain. Have you ever hurt that much? God hears our cry and he will send us help. We may be suprised at where the help comes from. We must not let pride determine whether the help God sends us is good enough or not. We learn a bit of how the Lord felt when he was ministered to and worshipped by those that were common or unclean. Things seem different when you are in tremendous pain. Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Our Lord knows pain, he chose pain to "buy" our peace, he chose pain to ensure we could be healed. He put our griefs and sorrows on his back. He understand pain and grief and he understands humility.