“Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of life.” Psalm 54:4
Outside, the trees were just turning crimson. The air had a chill. I raked leaves that had fallen and tried to convince myself that everything was okay despite having just learned that an opportunity I’d hoped would come my way had gone somewhere else. I took in a deep breath and came up with reasons the opportunity wasn’t right for me—that most likely it would be a failure anyway.
When the sour grapes approach didn’t work I tried to put the disappointment out of my mind.My pile of leaves got bigger, but I was still feeling bad. I took another deep breath and prayed, “I trust your plan, Lord. Your will, not mine.”
Looking at my watch, I realized Henry would be coming home from school any minute, so I sat on the front porch. The yellow bus roared down the road, and I smiled at seeing my son in the window.
He bopped off the bus steps. “We’re rollerskating in gym!” he said.
“Is it fun?” I asked.
“I don’t know yet,” he said. “We spent the whole day learning how to fall down.”
“That’s a useful skill,” I said, opening the door. I smiled, thinking of a gym filled with kids purposely throwing themselves on to the floor.“I’m still learning how to fall, Henry,” I said. All at once, the weight of my disappointment disappeared.
Dear Lord, thank You for helping me through life’s disappointments, for picking me up when I fall.
