Snowboarding and the Righteous Man

Well it seems this is becoming a series drawing analogies from my recent snowboarding trip. I have at least one more topic in mind after this one. So if any of you have something against snowboarding, then I’m sorry but you’ll just have to bear with me a little longer.




Despite the lack of evidence from the pictures taken, I did fall quite a few times during the day. The majority of those falls occurred in the first part of the day when I was first practicing the basics of being able to keep my balance. We got our gear on and went out to the bunny slope first thing. Micah explained the basics and then we each tried it. I started down and of course I fell. Now that area wasn’t exactly private and it’s kind of hard to fall and maintain your dignity. Usually you roll a couple times and depending on how you fall, you can end up in some pretty interesting, and embarrassing, positions. Also you get covered with snow which soon melts and becomes very uncomfortable. And when you barely get started down the bunny slope and then fall it can be kind of discouraging and seem hopeless that you will ever learn. All these things could have caused me to give up then and there, turn around, and give up trying. But I got back up, went to the top of the hill, got some pointers from Micah, tried it again, and once again fell. I fell multiple times just going down the bunny slope and never actually did it correctly. And most of the time it was because I made the exact same mistake of leaning too far back. After a half dozen tries or so Micah said it was time to move on to the bigger hill. The main factors that added was speed, which made falls harder, and obstacles, which made it harder to stay up until steering was mastered. But even when steering was mastered you sometimes didn’t have a choice. I soon mastered the art of quickly recovering from a fall. The less time I spent on the ground the better. So when I continued to fall, and it may have seemed hopeless, what was it that caused me to continue to get back up and try again? Well I think the main thing was what I had invested in it. I already paid and they don’t give a chicken rebate, so there was the aspect of wanting to get my money’s worth. There was also the aspect of the people around me. Sure they all were seeing me fall over and over. But which would have been worse, having them see me fall over and over, or them seeing me fall and then give up? Also I saw them falling as well. It wasn’t like I was the only one down on the ground out there on that slope. But I think there was one primary reason. I wasn’t about to go home to my Dad and tell him, “Yeah I went there and spent the money to try snowboarding, but I fell down so I decided to give up”.



Now let’s look at an example of a new believer. He’s has recently confessed Christ and now seeks to live a life pleasing to Him. He wishes to leave the life he once knew and live for Christ. But not long after his conversion, he falls into sin! The discouragement is intense. He thought that after he became a believer, his life would be different. But here he fell; possibly back into the same sin he was in before he was saved. Those around him heard his profession, and now they all watch him fall. It is very embarrassing to him to be in this position. And he feels hurt that it seems he has been forsaken. Everything seems to tell him to give up. But he summons courage, gets back up, goes and asks his teacher for advice, starts off again, and before long he again falls! And he is still on the bunny slopes of Christianity. These things that are causing him to fall are simple things. But over and over they cause him to fall. And most of the time it’s the same problem as before. But he keeps trying and before long he is moving forward in his Christian walk. He is gaining ground and despite the fact that the temptations and trials are greater, his falls are still becoming less and less frequent. And he has now learned how to quickly recover from his falls. The less time he spends on the ground of defeat, the better. The Bible says “The righteous man falls seven times, and rises again”. The point here has nothing to do with the number of times he falls. Instead the point here is that he will always rise again. So why do they always rise? Well it could be because of that which they have invested in it. I could also be the fear of what those watching may think if they see them easily give up. They may be encouraged when they learn that other Christians fall as well so it is not just a problem they have. But what is the greatest motivation to them? They will not go home to their heavenly Father and say that they gave up after once failing. They wish to please their heavenly Father so they continue on despite the trials they encounter. This is a test as to whether one is a true believer or not. Because the verse goes on to say that the wicked fall into evil. When they fall they stay there and wallow in their evil. Their false profession goes by the wayside as they indulge in the evil. So when you fall, and the Bible says you will, remember that a righteous man falls, but he always gets back up.