Wise is the traveler who is aware of their strengths. Wiser still is the traveler who is aware of their weaknesses, for weakness can destroy in a moment what has taken strength a lifetime to build.
Travelers on the road to Life gain elevation. Their moral character, strong work ethic, and unique spiritual gifts and abilities set them apart. They are often given trusted positions of leadership and authority in the church and community. By the way, this is the next article in a series called Two Roads. Previous articles in this series are always available online at http://www.webbweekly.com.
It is from this place of respected elevation that travelers sometimes experience a devastating fall from grace. When it happens, we are shocked and deeply disappointed. It leaves us questioning the validity of the gospel message and its transformational power. A leader’s moral failure casts a long shadow of doubt over the mission of God and the Church of Jesus Christ.
Throughout its history, the Church has been rocked by scandals in the pastorate, the priesthood, and the laity. Even world-renowned televangelists and defenders of the faith are not immune from the downward pull of gravity and scandalous behavior.
In a public sense, it is true that the bigger they are, the harder they fall. But every fall, public or private, is devastating to the innocent victims left in the wake of their trusted leader’s moral failure. As a career pastor, I have witnessed first-hand the devastating wounds suffered by spouses, children, parents, congregations, and constituents when a trusted leader dashes their hopes and dreams on the rocks of moral failure.
Listen closely; if you are gaining elevation as you travel the road to Life, then you are capable of taking the steps that lead to a moral failure. If you think it could never happen to you, then you’re already in trouble. Gravity affects everyone. There is no height of maturity or holiness from which it is impossible to fall.
Falling from grace is not a new problem. It has existed since Adam. He was the first to fall, and then came Moses, King David, Peter, and Judas.
The point is this: If exceptional travelers like these were capable of suffering a fall, then so are we.
Adam was created in God’s image and was given authority over all the earth. His vulnerability? He was so close to being like God he allowed himself to believe he didn’t need God. Pride is a vulnerability that plagues many Life-road travelers. Elevation can convince a traveler that success has come from the strength of their own hand. They forget about God’s grace, gifts, and provision. Such forgetful arrogance causes a traveler to break with spiritual disciplines. They find out the hard way that pride comes before a fall.
Moses was miraculously saved by God from death and hand-picked to lead the Israelite slaves out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. His vulnerability? Moses had a hot temper. It was first revealed when he killed an Egyptian slave driver. Later, it caused him to disobey a very specific direction given to him by God. That sudden and angry outburst kept him from ever stepping foot in the Promised Land.
David was chosen by God to be king of Israel because, as God put it, “He is a man after my own heart.” His vulnerability? David loved women — a lot of women. The Bible mentions at least eight wives who bore him children, but there were many others and a large harem. We shouldn’t be surprised that a sexual fling with someone else’s wife was at the core of his devastating fall.
Peter was chosen by Jesus to be a part of His inner circle and the first key leader of the Church. His vulnerability? Peter was fearful. He concealed his fear with bluster and bravado, but it was exposed several times during fierce storms on the Sea of Galilee. During one of those storms, Peter got out of the boat and walked toward Jesus on the water — until his fear of the storm caused him to take his eyes off Jesus. It was fear that got the best of him on the night Jesus was betrayed. Before the rooster crowed, he denied knowing Jesus three times.
Judas was chosen by Jesus to be a member of his Twelve and was given the trusted responsibility of overseeing the finances. His vulnerability? Money. He sometimes pilfered money from Jesus to get what he wanted. To conceal his greed and theft, he sometimes feigned concern for the poor. It took only thirty pieces of silver to buy his betrayal of Jesus.
Five heroes of the faith. Five vulnerabilities. Five devastating falls from grace.
It’s not just Bible characters who suffer from debilitating weaknesses. Achilles, the Greek mythical hero of the Trojan War, had his heel. Superman, the superhero who could leap tall buildings in a single bound, had his Kryptonite. Even armored armadillos and prickly porcupines have soft underbellies.
A vulnerability is defined as a weakness or fascination that opens the strong to attack or the wise to poor decision-making.
My favorite hobby is pursuing mature white-tailed bucks with a bow and arrow. Using an arrow isn’t easy, but I do it because archery season coincides with a trophy buck’s greatest vulnerability: mating season, also known as the rut. Mature bucks are very wary, and when hunting pressure rises, they become completely nocturnal, moving only under the cover of darkness. Their sense of smell is legendary, and most seasoned hunters agree that big bucks have a sixth sense that makes them nearly impossible to harvest — except during the rut. Big bucks will make mistakes when chasing a doe. That vulnerability is what keeps me in my tree stand on very cold days in early November.
Strength is the source of elevation; vulnerability is the source of failure. It is wise to focus our energy on discovering and building our strengths. But to ignore vulnerability is a fatal error. As I stated at the beginning of this article, vulnerability can destroy in moments what strength has taken a lifetime to build.
Are you aware of your vulnerabilities? Have you taken stock of the weaknesses that could destroy your life and the people you love? Have you taken intentional steps to guard your vulnerabilities? If you haven’t, then be warned: you are setting yourself up for a fall.
