Paul Wylie was skating in the 1988 Winter Olympics at Calgary. He was nervous as he began his program before 20,000 people and a TV audience of millions. Then, in his first jump, something went wrong. He writes, "A flash later my hand touches the ice; the blade will not hold. I start slipping and now I realize it: I am falling. All I hear as I collapse to the ice is the empathetic groan of what seems like a million voices."

Wylie was faced with a split-second choice: He could focus on the mistake and give up, or he could keep on skating and do his best. Just then this Scripture verse came to his mind: "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down" (Ps. 37:24). He continued his routine and decided to skate "heartily, as to the Lord" (Col. 3:23). At program's end the crowd burst into enthusiastic applause for his courage and determination.

As followers of Jesus, we may be knocked off our feet by a powerful blow. A loved one may die, or we may lose a job, or we may be overlooked for a promotion. We may be dismayed by a fall into sin. It's one thing to fall; it's quite another to give up. If we get up again, reaffirm our faith in Christ, and keep on serving Him, we will not be "utterly cast down."  — David C. Egner