Warning from the Fallen

A good friend of mine, a promising young leader, lost his job (and maybe his career) in the last week because of some foolish choices and unethical decision making. I cannot condone his actions in any way and I cannot fault the conclusion of the organization for letting him go, but that doesn't heal the emptiness of the fall.

Some of the warning from this experience shouts in my face and other statements of concern whisper in my ear. The fall from integrity is only a sinful decision away, only a slip into temptation, only a gradual move into darkness. The shout – Watch out, stay alert, focus on the prize. Paul exhorts Timothy in bold print, “Watch your life and doctrine closely” (I Timothy 4:16). The whisper – little choices lead to bigger ones, a small compromise crushes consistency, stay away from the seductive. The whisper reminded me of a song written by Mark Hall from Casting Crowns. He penned,

“It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade”

There is an emptiness that I feel deep inside myself when I am faced with a fallen hero. I think some of that feeling is the reality that, except for the grace of God, the fallen might be me. There is a frailty and humility that rushes over me as I stare into the mirror of depravity and human nature. Protection only comes when I cover myself with His blood and carefully put on the full armor of God. The belt of truth must be at the center of all my actions; the breastplate of doing right must guard my heart; the shoes of the gospel must lead me away from temptation and straight into the arms of the Creator; the helmet of salvation must dominate my thinking as I redeem my thoughts with the good news of Jesus; my shield of faith must be raised high in order to block the darts of the enemy that come from a variety of directions; and the sword (that powerful doubled edged sword of Hebrews 4:12) must be my weapon of choice. Lord, help me keep my armor polished and firmly in place. May I become more and more skilled with my shield and sword. And may the rest of the armor feel comfortable from daily use.

When a spiritual hero falls, others around him/her are often by its impact. The trials of a leader are passed on, to one degree or another, to those who follow and to those who grant authority to the leader. There is a sharing of the suffering, a bleeding with the wounded, a common pain felt by many. Some cannot rectify the fall and lose faith themselves; some respond in anger and bitter disappointment; others withdraw into walls of discouragement. The role of a leader has wide ripples of responsibility.

I close this rather sobering post with some incredible words of hope and perspective from David Platt, Senior Pastor at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham Alabama, “Satan intends every type of suffering to sabotage us; God intends every type of suffering to sanctify us.” May I (we) remember the depth of this truth when I find myself in the midst of suffering; May these words empower me (us) to stand firm when the waters begin to overwhelm me; May God indeed sanctify me (us) through it all.