WINTER REMINDS US OF THE RISKS OF SLIPPING AND TRIPPING
Our weather forecasters have added to their recent forecasts words like “polar vortex” and “snowquake” alongside their usual references to falling snow, sleet, or mixed precipitation. The same forecasters could just as easily include predictions of “falling bodies.” According to one source, over 42,500 people fall on ice or snow each winter and injure themselves. At one time or another, many of us are probably included in those statistics.
When we fall, we either “trip” or “slip.” And trips and slips result in very different types of injuries, according to anatomical textbooks, although we often use the two terms interchangeably. Walking consists of two phases: a swing phase and a stance phase. When we take a step, we lift up on the ball of one foot and swing the other foot forward. This is the swing phase. As that foot comes down, it drops into a stance phase. The heel lands first and gives us a firm foundation. Once in that position, we lift from the ball of the foot into the next swing phase. And so we move along on one foot and then the other, swinging and coming down into a solid stand.
A “trip” happens in the swing phase as our toes swing forward and catch on something that causes us to lose our balance: a root, a cracked sidewalk, or a carpet wrinkle. We fall forward when we trip; and we throw our hands or arms out to try to protect ourselves from the impact of falling. Falling forward usually means an injury to our wrists, elbows, or shoulders.
A “slip,” on the other hand, derives from a very different experience. As we come into the stance phase and bring our heel down onto the ground, we stiffen the leg and put our weight down on our heel. When there is insufficient friction between the heel of our foot as it drops to the ground, we can slip. Our heel comes down on a surface that is unstable or slippery: a thin layer of water on the floor, a bit of ice in the parking lot, a wet leaf on the path. We “slip” because our heel and foot have not made solid contact with the surface below them. When we slip, we typically fall backward and land on our spine or the back of our head. Usually these are more serious injuries than when we trip and fall forward. Most of the time, we slip in winter weather.
One common suggestion to avoid slipping on ice or snow is to “walk like a penguin.” We turn our toes outward and bend our legs when we walk over a surface that might be a slip hazard. Spreading the feet and bending the knees lowers our center of gravity so we are more centered and thus less likely to fall.
I’m sharing this information because I worry about some of us (myself included) falling in a snowy parking lot; but these suggestions are also good spiritual advice. The Bible has lots to say about slipping and tripping. For example, “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped . . .” (Psalm 72:3) Or “you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from tripping…” (Ps 116:8).
We are more likely to slip and fall spiritually when we lack a firm foundation. It’s what Jesus’ parable describes as building our house on sand or on rock. Faithful discipleship means building our lives on a firm foundation where our feet will not slip. As the hymn says,” Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ the head and cornerstone.” First Timothy reminds us to “…do good and be rich in good works, generous in giving, and always ready to share, thus storing up … a treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that [we] may take hold of the life that really is life.” (6:18-19).
Scripture also warns about the danger of tripping. It suggests that we trip and fall when we fail to notice temptations on our path and then stumble into them. As Proverbs 4:19 says, “the way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they trip and stumble.” Paul warns his readers to stay clear of temptations that may trip them up. But he also goes on to caution them about becoming a stumbling block for other believers. “Therefore, let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this—not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.” (Romans 14:13)
Avoiding slips on winter ice requires a willingness to lower our center of gravity and avoiding tripping over hidden dangers requires us to pay attention to where we are putting our feet. To “walk like a penguin.” Slips and falls are equally inevitable in our spiritual lives. We need to remember to fall forward into grace and growth rather than backwards into thoughts of shame or guilt. To lean into hope rather than fall into dejection. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Winter will surely linger for several more weeks. Snow, ice, and cold are inevitable. So be careful and stay physically safe. And as our church season begins to turn from Advent and Christmas toward Lent and Easter, let’s all lessen the risk of spiritual slips and trips by seeking to ground ourselves in the firm foundation of our faith.
With prayer, Pastor Thomas
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