Yesterday felt like a storm cloud kind of day. It was September 11th, a day we already carry the weight of. Add to that the heartbreaking news of Charlie Kirk being shot and killed, plus a school shooting in the very district where one of my friends works. I woke up already bracing myself for the questions students might ask, the emotions that might surface, and the heaviness of grief that I was not sure I could carry with them. To make it worse, it was raining, because of course it was.
I walked into school fully prepared for a dreary, heavy day… and instead, I tripped and completely wiped out. Coffee went flying. My pride hit the ground harder than I did. For a split second I was not sure if I needed paper towels or an ambulance. But as I laid there, I could not help it, I just started laughing.
Later, I pulled up the video on the security camera, and we all laughed together. That ridiculous fall ended up being the moment that cut through the gloom of the day. And I thought, sometimes God uses a literal fall flat on your face to remind you that laughter is still allowed.
Proverbs 17:22 says, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Grief is real. Fear is real. The world is broken, and days like yesterday prove it. But in the middle of it, God sometimes hands us medicine in the form of laughter. Not to ignore the pain, but to remind us we are not crushed beyond repair.
Sometimes the fall is the gift.
Extra Scriptures
- Psalm 30:11 – “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.”
- John 16:33 – “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Reflection Questions
- When was the last time laughter broke into a heavy moment for you?
- How can you let God remind you of joy, even when the day feels overwhelmingly dark?
- Where in your life do you need to be reminded that sometimes the fall is the gift?
Prayer
Lord, on the days that feel heavy, remind me that You are still near. Thank You for the gift of laughter and for the little moments that break through the darkness. Help me not to get stuck in my falls but to see Your grace even when I land flat on my face. Teach me to carry both sorrow and joy, knowing that in You my spirit does not have to be crushed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.