Once, we were told: to fall is to lose
Yet there are falls that work for gain.
Taken in stride – they rouse, awaken
And save from calamitous slumber.
Tripped by errors, take the fall with grace;
They are eye openers, clearing scales
So we see that life is more than meets eyes
That friendship is more than shakes hands.
Faith redefines success: triumph isn’t always
Coming out tops or standing out tall
There are those winning on their knees
While those standing are going nowhere.
Falls hold subtle and obvious elements of hope
And victory: diverting to where we can
View same issues from other vistas.

Scripture: We are all aspiring to get ahead. We target the top. We all want the best. Nobody wants to be second. Nobody wishes to be left behind, down the rung, out with the worst. No! Everybody wants good, wants better, and reaches incessantly for best. Even the very goods that fill us with contentment today depreciate, leaving us reaching for better than what we had yesterday, best of all we’ve had so far. That is the rating we know and admire, anything contrary is often unacceptable. Yet, God’s scales are very different from ours. I guess because His ways are nothing like ours. And given that He is so far above us and our aspirations, life and values take different meanings with Him. He is not ruled by success and failure. His values are not dictated by what we count as gains and losses, victory and defeat. God’s values are way beyond us but as we learn to take His position, we begin to see things the way He does, and to respond accordingly.

Scripture: Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8: 37.

Prayer: Dear Lord, may I never write off experiences You approve for my enlightenment and advancement, amen.