By Shery Abdelmalak
“We strive for perfection but we settle for okay. How different the world would be if we learnt how to speak heart to heart instead of through our lips.” The Rise And Fall
I fall, I rise, I fall in the exact same spot, I rise, I fall differently but I rise all the same. In an ideal world, sin and repentance would be an easy transition. The pits of sin entrap us and compound our separation from our Saviour. The despair, the shame, the guilt – the devil does not win any points for creativity.
The problem lies in our inability to see that we really are not all that special when it comes to the rise and fall. The person sitting just beside you has fallen in the exact same spot you have, but you think your problems are unique to you, so you go alone, putting on a brave face.
The Rise And Fall | The Community
Have you ever looked up on a busy train? We are so afraid to look up because God forbid we make eye contact with another human (covid hasn’t helped too much with this either). We have become detached from reality. In the third world, it’s normal to see a stranger walking past and invite them in as if it were their own home. In their humility and utter lack of materialism, they have what we in the first world so dearly crave. They have community, they have love, they have all they need and nothing more.
As for us, we drown in a sea consumed by problems that lie within ourselves. We drown in the excess of having more than just our daily bread. We put our desires above our needs. We try to fill the voids with materialism when all we really need is the love of those around us.
Our biggest blessing is in our brothers and sisters. The greatest love story the world has ever known is testament to the love we strive for.
The Rise And Fall | The King
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the highest of the high, the King of all Kings, left His heavenly kingdom and was born in a manger in search of our salvation. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. He taught us to Love. He taught us to turn the other cheek. He taught us to lay down our lives for the sake of our friends. He was taken as a robber by night, betrayed by His own disciple.
He was whipped.
He was spat upon.
He was ridiculed.
He was nailed to a Cross, naked and wounded.
The Cross in itself was made to kick a person so hard when they were already down. A cross is much smaller than what is typically depicted. It is at the perfect height for crowds to gather around, to slap, to mock, to abuse.
But He did have to. He had to teach you and I that the path to salvation is strength made perfect in our weakness.
Christ humbled Himself to the point of the most shameful deaths for our sakes. A truly strong person is not one who puts on a brave face. A truly strong person is one who can acknowledge their weakness to uplift their brothers and sisters.
The Rise And Fall | The World
We strive for perfection but we settle for okay. How different the world would be if we learnt how to speak heart to heart instead of through our lips. Our heart says something, the brain interferes with some fancy lines so we don’t look so weak and by the time the words get to our mouths, our heart is completely silenced. What a world we would live in if we truly spoke heart to heart, in honesty, in sincerity, in all human weakness.
“I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses that the power of Christ may rest upon me” [2 Cor. 12:9] | The Rise And Fall
Saint Paul was able to speak boldly and be heard, but it was Saint Paul that insisted on his weakness. He was self-reportedly humble, and he could get away with it because he was truly humiliated and thought nothing of himself. He was not putting on a brave face, he was not hiding his weaknesses. On the contrary, he was broadcasting his infirmities. He says, “I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor. 12:9).
The Rise And Fall | The Glory
Who would you rather confide in? The one who is strong and mighty and unstoppable, or the one that just gets it, the one that has been through troubles and has no problem expressing their flaws. And finally, who would you rather be? What glory is there in showing strength in our world that is temporal when the eternal awaits?
To overcome the most difficult of sins, we need each other. We were never meant to do this alone. Salvation is in our brethren, and not on our own.
Delivered to you by COPTICNN™ | Coptic News Network on 2021-04-06 from Sydney, Australia.
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