Love that Lifts Us Up Again

Proverbs 24:16 – “For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.”

Hadassah sat at the top of the hill, gripping her handlebars with all the confidence in the world. Her legs bounced with excitement, her feet barely staying on the pedals. I crouched beside her.

“You ready?” I asked, resting a steadying hand on her back.

She nodded eagerly. “I’m ready, Daddy!”

“Okay,” I said. “Just remember—”

But before I could finish, she launched forward, her laughter trailing behind like a banner. For a few glorious seconds, she was weightless. Fearless.

And then I saw it—the hesitation in her shoulders, the slight panic in her grip.

She did not know how to stop.

“Hadassah!” My voice cut through the air. “Squeeze the brakes!”

She didn’t. Instead, her feet shot out, dragging against the road.

“Not your shoes!” I winced. “Those are brand new!”

Her bike wobbled and swerved, and then she crashed. I was running before she hit the ground. By the time I reached her, she was crumpled in a heap. Her scraped knees were pulled up to her chest, and hot tears spilled down her cheeks.

I knelt, scooping her into my arms. “Oh, sweetheart. I’ve got you. You’re okay.”

Her sobs hiccupped as she clung to me. I held her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“That was scary, huh?”

She gave the tiniest nod. I squeezed her a little tighter. “I know. But you were so brave.”

She sniffled. “I didn’t know how to stop.”

I smiled, smoothing a hand over her back. “That’s okay. You’ll get it. You’re still learning, and that’s what matters.”

And isn’t that how life goes? We take off, thinking we have got everything figured out. We stumble. We fall. We scrape ourselves up in ways we never saw coming.

But, every single time, our Heavenly Father comes running.

Not with anger. But with arms open wide. His grace meets us in the dirt, not with disappointment, but with love.

Hadassah would ride again, and next time, she’d remember how to stop. And when life throws you and me off balance and we stumble, I believe we will too because…

 “You’re still learning, and that’s what matters.”