As Thanksgiving approaches, a memory from a decade ago in Montana returns to me—one of those “suddenlies,” as my business partners and I like to call the unexpected moments that shift everything in an instant.
Guests had arrived at the ranch for the holiday, and while I was finishing the last touches on dinner, they went to explore the barn. I grabbed my jacket and headed outside to join them.
But as I stepped down toward the corral, something completely unforeseen happened—my feet went above my head. I had hit hidden black ice. I landed hard on my hip and lay there stunned, unable to move. For a moment, I simply breathed, letting the reality settle in. Then I began calling for help.
Isaiah 41:10 whispers to us in the moments when the world flips unexpectedly beneath our feet: “Fear not, for I am with you… I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
There are times in life when we don’t see the ice beneath us—the loss, the heartbreak, the disappointment. The fall can feel humiliating… or lonely. But after the fall, there is also a choice. We can stay down, give in, and freeze—or we can rise, slowly and painfully if necessary, trusting God is right there to steady us.
Sometimes what looks like life falling apart is actually life falling into place. The breaking makes room for rebuilding. The struggle becomes the transformation.
II Corinthians 3:18 reminds us that we “are being transformed… with ever-increasing glory.”
Transformation doesn’t happen in comfort; it happens in the climb back up.
That day in the cold, my calls for help went unanswered. I had to push myself to rise. The bruises were real. The caution I learned stayed with me. But the lesson was clear: It’s okay to fall—just don’t stay down.
Josh Wright’s song “The Fall” captures this truth so beautifully: “I really wouldn’t know Your love at all if I didn’t know the fall.”
If not for the moments that bring us to our knees, would we recognize the strength of God’s love? Would we understand His nearness? His rescue? His tenderness?
God doesn’t leave us in the fall. He calls us up. He calls us forward. And His love wins—every single time.
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
Father, thank You for being near in every fall and every rise. When life slips out from under us, steady our hearts and remind us we are never alone. Help us to trust the process of transformation, even when it feels painful or uncertain.
Strengthen us to get back up—one breath, one step, one moment at a time. Remind us Your love always wins. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
