Can't Help But Fall Down
Every four years something magical happens; the Winter Olympics. I can remember from an early age staying up late to watch the Winter Olympics with my family. It was one of the only times my parents blurred the lines of my bedtime to allow me to keep watching the games. The amount of preparation, anticipation, and meditation that the athletes dedicate toward their appearance at the Olympics is unfathomable - and it shows.
Last night was the women’s snowboard halfpipe, in which only one American competed. Reigning legend, Chloe Kim, was expected to dominate the competition and she most definitely delivered. Chloe was the last one to compete among the 12 other snowboarders which allowed the anticipation to build. As she made her way down the halfpipe with perfectly executed and sequenced tricks, she finally arrived at the bottom. Knowing good and well that she just laid down a perfect run, Chloe couldn’t help but fall down and burst into tears of joy and relief.
It’s amazing to see how emotions can absolutely take over the motions of the body. Chloe Kim is not an exclusive example to this type of reaction. In fact, the same emotion can be seen in the gospels. In Luke’s account, 6 people fell before Jesus after realizing who He was:
Simon Peter (Luke 5:8)
The Leper (Luke 5:12)
The Demon-Possessed Man (Luke 8:28)
Jairus (Luke 8:41)
The Broke and Sick Woman (Luke 8:47)
The Cleansed Samaritan (Luke 17:16)
This reaction of falling before Jesus couldn’t be controlled. It was involuntary when comprehending the identity, the reality, of Jesus Christ. He’s the One who can heal, save, and forgive. He’s the One who can do what no man can.
What I find interesting about all of this, is the same word for “fall down” is used in Luke 15:20 with the parable of the prodigal son. When the Father sees His child returning, the Father embraced him. That word for “embrace” can be translated as “threw himself down/on him.” The simple truth of these passages remains: when the relationship between God and man is restored, there is an intense joy that is powerful enough to discount the controllable actions of the body. As Chloe Kim finished her halfpipe run she knew she did exactly what she needed to do to win which invoked the action of falling down. Very similarly in the spiritual world, when we accomplish our journey to Christ, we know joy and relief can be had.