Of course I knew there was a step there.How many times had I gone up and down them?As the heel of my shoe got caught in the planks of the wooden step I thought I was going to fall forever.But I eventually hit the ground.As I picked myself up I looked around and exclaimed to myself “God, I hope no one was looking!”But alas, someone was looking.A cute little dog in the downstairs apartment had propped himself up in the window seal and was looking at me like “are you okay lady?”As I smiled at him, I walked toward my car, digging in my purse for my keys.While I kept shoveling my belongings to the side, I heard a very loud ‘bark’.As I turned to look at my friend in the window, a car went flying past me so fast I could have spun.He, in his own way was helping me.
As I type out this little story on the wake of the death and burial of Mrs. Whitney Houston, I am amazed at how both stories are related.While many cried and said how sad they where she is gone, a few express anger that the media has given such recognition to a ‘drug addict’.While she did battle the beast of addiction, and it may possibly be what killed her, we can only assume.But what we know for a fact is that she was someone’s child.She was someone’s mother and she was a mentor to a lot of people.Away from the photographers, cameras, lights and parties she was like you.She was like me.She loved and people loved her.She was a human being. Someone was watching.
We are often times lifted up in our failures so that others can see what not to do! Leaders don’t always lead people to light.Just like Moses and the Children of Israel, there sometimes needs to be a lot of captivity.Sometimes a person has to fail at changing just to change.That gives a whole new meaning to the term failing to change! Our pit falls as Christians are lit up by God so the world can see how he works.. so that he can do the impossible and the absolutely amazing.We can only do people sized things.God, however, does God sized things.For every person that thought they could be an addict and succeed just because Whitney did it, there was another that said if they were blessed like here, they would get their life together.Fortunately for the latter group…some of us, (Yes that includes me!) did.
Ultimately the point is to follow Christ.No matter what your favorite celebrity does, they are still human.They are still people in the spot light.We are too.We are the church of God set on a hill so that the world can see the light of God in us.For our failures God gives faith.For our hang ups God gives grace and for our mistakes God gives a message.So when you fall, get up, ask for forgiveness, dust yourself off and start again.You never know, that missed step could have been a bark…I mean help… in disguise!