If you live in the Iowa area, you likely dealt with the icy conditions we had this past weekend. One of the benefits of living in this state.

I stayed home most of this past Saturday, but decided that the warmer temps on Sunday allowed me to venture out for church. Main roads were good. Parking lots and sidewalks, not so much.

You know what a lot of a church’s square footage is? Parking lots and sidewalks!

Despite some clear efforts on the part of many to treat the ice, it was still just a bit treacherous to walk on.

As I was walking to my car after the service, I couldn’t help but look around at the others who were also headed to their cars. It was all couples and families. Everyone had someone who they were holding onto, or who was holding onto them.

Despite my best efforts, and to my surprise, I found myself with tears rolling down my cheeks because I felt so very alone in that moment. No one to hang onto, or to hang onto me.

But stay with me. This isn’t just about the loneliness that so many feel over the holiday season. Although, it’s still a good reminder to reach out to someone who may be struggling right now.

No, this story has more to it than that. As I neared my car, feeling pretty weepy and sorry for myself, I heard that infamous still small voice of God. And this is what it said to me, “So, did you fall?”

What?? If I was having an actual face-to-face conversation with God, I would have been stumbling and bumbling around with my response to that question! I was still upright as I got into my car so my answer was a sheepish, “Well, no…”

That’s when I was reminded (in a very unique way!), that God was walking right beside me, hanging onto me even though I didn’t recognize it or acknowledge it. He cares more deeply about my “walk” than anyone else.

This isn’t to say that we don’t ever fall – physically or spiritually. Of course we do! It’s definitely a constant in my life, and likely in yours. No, I don’t physically fall, but I do come up short spiritually, relationally and emotionally so often. It’s part and parcel of our fallen human nature.

Falling, in any area of life, doesn’t mean God has deserted us. He’s there to pick us up, dust us off, and encourage us to keep moving forward. He knows it’s those times we “fall” short that can be the best ways to learn the lessons he wants for us.

In short, God can keep us from falling, as he did for me Sunday morning, and he is there to help us after our falls. In every circumstance, it’s true – God’s got us. And I’m so grateful he does.

The Lord upholds all who are falling

and raises up all who are bowed down.

Psalm 145:14