It's been said that it is not how many times we fall but the number of times that we rise that matters. Jesus falls the second time and understandably it was because of the events that took place the previous night plus the sufferings that he was going through. But even if He was already very weak He rose up again and continued.
In our life we fail not only once, not even just twice or thrice. We almost fail every day - even at every moment of each day - one way or another. We fail not only when we do not achieve results that we expect like in an examination, sales targets, minimum number of people served, visitors to our office or website, etc. We fail when we miss appointments, when those we are supposed to meet does not show up, when we do not catch the bus on time, when we overshoot the right bus stop, when we fail to meet the deadline or miss the cut for interview schedule, when we do not get what we want done.
But it is up to us whether we would like to consider these things as failures or as opportunities for something better: better transportation, better job, better options, better schedules, better people to serve, better sales later, etc.
There is however one failure that we ought not disregard. It is the failure to conform to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. For this kind of failure will lead us to sin and damnation. Why? Because there is no other person on earth with whom we can conform to and achieve our ultimate end: union with the Father in heaven.
There is a story about St Francis and St Clare which goes like this: Francis was walking ahead while Clare was following him, stepping carefully onto the footprints of Francis. When Francis noticed it he asked her, "Are you following my footsteps?" to which Clare readily answered, "No. Deeper."
There is a story about St Francis and St Clare which goes like this: Francis was walking ahead while Clare was following him, stepping carefully onto the footprints of Francis. When Francis noticed it he asked her, "Are you following my footsteps?" to which Clare readily answered, "No. Deeper."
We may have other models which we may follow but ultimately, it is Christ our Lord whom we truly follow. These other models, such as the Saints, are instruments whose footsteps we could step onto in order to eventually conform to the life of the Lord Jesus Christ just as they, the Saints, did.
May we never fail to conform totally to the Lord Jesus Christ whose requirement for people who wishes to become His disciples are to deny the themselves, carry their crosses and follow Him.
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