VII. Jesus falls again.
Behold the wood of the Cross…
Pause and hold your heart and the world in your hands.
Here we go again: A second fall. It’s easier to get up after the first fall—but after the second?
This time, it’s not just the load that we carry, but that nagging voice in our head: “See? It’s not going to work. You can try and try and try, but you’re just going to take another spill. What’s the point?”
In case you haven’t recognized it yet, that voice is from the evil spirit, that force that takes advantage of us when we’re at our most vulnerable and that will resort to anything just to lead us farther away from God: Discouragement, resentment, bitterness, and especially despair.
Our Lord was “like us in all things except sin” so He too experienced these temptations. But He didn’t give in. He didn’t give up. Even on his second fall, He picked Himself up.
Sometimes what causes us to fall isn’t so much our cross, but all these additional weights we carry in our heads: these inner voices that taunt us, these negative thoughts that discourage us.
So what to do?
Refuse them. Don’t listen and don’t fall for them. We can actually choose the thoughts we listen to. You can change your thoughts. They need not define you.
The trick is not to entertain these thoughts. Don’t give these voices the power to get you down or to ruin your day. Ignore them.
Make the decision to stop carrying these unnecessary burdens. Drop them.
So the next time you find yourself on the brink of discouragement or frustration, assure yourself: This is normal. I just have to ignore these thoughts. Ask the Lord to help you fight them. Don’t drown in them. Pray to the Lord to give you the faith to keep your head up.
You have nothing to lose, except this rock you’ve been carrying.
Pause and listen to this song, “Keep Your Head Up.”
Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and prayers below.
One reply on “The Seventh Station”
I keep my head up…
Let my hair down….
Thank you♥️