Stumbling

Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

“Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!'” Luke 17:1-10 

Since my surgery, this summer, I worry a good deal about falling. I stumble because my left leg has little feeling and is weak. What would not have been obstacles once, have now become dangerous if I am not careful. I have to forgive myself for not being able to keep up with the crowd as I recover. Faith is like that as well. We all have times in our lives when our circumstances can cause us to fall.

Jesus is being honest with his followers. They want a magic pill to make them strong in their faith. He answers them with great cautions, telling them they must be always be aware and always forgiving. Faith is a gift which we need to protect by using, a gift we must honor with our compassion and love. We are invited today to be grateful for the blessings of our faith, not fearing weakness and trusting that God is faithful even when we stumble and fall.

Today, I ask God to help me trust in every moment. May our doubts and missteps not define us, but rather, help us to lean on Jesus completely.