“Are you okay?” asked a gentleman who grabbed my arm. “Are you hurt?” asked another. “Only my pride,” I responded, as another gentleman told me, “That was a good recovery!” “Jump school training — tuck and roll,” I replied.

As everyone drifted off, I told myself, I’m not wearing this sweatshirt for the rest of my vacation. I didn’t want anyone to recognize the old guy who fell down the steps. We were on vacation in Breckenridge, Colorado, and we went hiking almost every day. As I get older, I try to be a little more cautious when hiking so I don’t stumble over a stump or rock. Back in civilization, I’m not embarrassed to use the handrails when they’re available.

My fall came one afternoon after we had finished our hike. Lynne wanted to find a sweatshirt. Just the mention of the word “shopping” will cause the life force to leave my body, so I told her I’d wait in a nearby coffee shop. The coffee shop was on the second level so, for reasons yet unknown, I decided to go straight up the middle rather than use the handrail. The good news is it was only the third step where I stumbled and rolled back down to the sidewalk.

As passers-by stopped to help, I could hear this Scripture in the back of my mind: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18, ESV)

Stumbling isn’t confined to the natural world. We can stumble in our spiritual journey as well. Scripture is replete with numerous references to both falling and the things that cause us to fall. First and foremost, we are more likely to stumble in the darkness than in the light, both physically and spiritually. Jesus tells us as much. “Jesus answered, 'Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.‘” (John 11:9-10)

We need to be cautious here because we can over-stretch an illustration. I stumbled in broad daylight, but it is different in the spiritual realm. Jesus is the “light” we are to walk in, and we do it in fellowship with other believers. “But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

The key to avoiding stumbling and falling in our spiritual life is to walk in the “light” of King Jesus as well as in the community of believers. All of the “graces” the Holy Spirit seeks to develop in our lives, the fruits of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) — are done in community with our brothers and sisters in Christ. None of those fruits benefits the advancement of God’s Kingdom apart from the involvement of others.

One last thing. We are also promised divine assistance to keep us from stumbling as we walk through this journey. “Now to Him Who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy.” (Jude 24) How is He able to keep us from stumbling? By walking in fellowship with King Jesus and our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need each other. If you ever begin to think otherwise, remember my caution from Proverbs early on: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!