There is this song by Third Day that I’ve liked since I was a little girl. Not just because I really like Third Day or because Jeremy Walker used sing their songs all the time at Lifeway Community Church when I was a younger. I liked the song because it was real. I could relate to it and I think every Christian (and nonChristains) can relate.
The song is called Wire and here is the chorus:
“Oh, it makes me wonder
What if I slip, will they catch me
Or watch me fall?
I am walking on a wire
I tiptoe in through the fire
Never looking down to see that
I am walking on a wire
The pressure’s getting higher
But I don’t look around” (Third Day)
This song is about the mistakes we make as people, but specifically Christians. It’s about those times when we get caught up in sin or get caught in sin. It’s about those times when our walk becomes a crawl. When we’re struggling. The question remains, is if we fall off the “wire”; if we loose our footing our faith journey; will the person next to us reach out to hold us up? “What if I slip, will they catch me/ [o]r watch me fall?”
I think this is a pretty easy thing to relate to. Often times we don’t admit where we struggle or that we’re struggling because we’re afraid of being judged or vulnerable. This is something that I can definitely relate to. Other times it’s because we were taught (intentionally or unintentionally) at a young age that it is not okay to not be perfect, but that’s unrealistic (not to mention unbiblical).
So the question remains with us, if I do slip up will my brothers and sisters in Christ catch me? or will they watch me fall?
I realized something recently, mostly because I’m more likely not to be caught. I realized that isn’t everyone’s job to catch me. Don’t get me wrong we can’t finish our faith journey without help. But how often do we feel like people are judging us and watching us fall when really they are just oblivious. And why are they oblivious to our struggle? Because we didn’t share it.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:10, “Woe to one who is alone and falls and doesn’t not have another to help” (NRSV). In other words, don’t be the one who slips without someone close to you to catch you and then show you grace and help you overcome your struggle or through your hard time.
God made us to be in relationship. That’s why Eve existed because if we didn’t need relationship their would be no such thing as a female and Adam would still be the only person on the planet. So, we need to actually be in relationship. That way, if we slip then their will be someone to catch us and we won’t have to wonder about it.
When we’re in the mist of a struggle we often fear that we will be judged or that our brothers and sisters in Christ will help us up, then we need to build community with them and trust them without struggles and issues. That way they will catch us and not let us fall.
