The Face Plant
What is a Face Plant? Is it a plant or a flower that looks like a human or animal face? No – it’s a high stakes “college try” or “do or die trying” endeavor where failure happens along with injuries & losses. It’s where we attempt to do something extra cool to possibly make up for past mistakes, only to add one more big failure to the collection. The Face Plant is a matter of driving too hard to achieve career, romance, estate, business growth, etc. and then have a bold failure. And I’m sure ALL of us have a fiasco situation burned in our memory from a distant experience or a recent one.
I believe our WANTS & DESIRES can lead to obsession, but our desires can be misleading, & even sincere religious folks can read into a situation, by way of hunches & feelings & signs, etc., of God’s endorsement/blessing when it’s not really there. God generally helps people with NEEDS – not wants. We should know the difference. If there is too much uncertainty, it may be an indication that God isn’t for our plan. It may be just an Obsession (link 61), or Illusion (link 80). I find that usually a steady peace in a situation is a better sign of Divine agreement.
Now in the Bible we have examples of the Face Plant. Below are three that led to death, and three that led to therapy & cleansing for the characters involved:
- Balaam – A heathen diviner that was hired by a local king to curse the early Israelites. It led to his demise. Numbers 22-24
- Belshaz’zar – A king who had an extreme pride/ego & died “driving hard.” Daniel 5
- Judas – Just false & greedy but had one of the world’s worst fatal Face Plants. Acts 1:18
- King David – His devious seduction of an officer’s wife & termination of Uri’ah the officer was David’s Face Plant, but it humbled him & shaped his devotional character. 2 Samuel 11 He rebounded to write most of the Psalms.
- Peter – Was maybe the boldest disciple of Jesus Christ, but Face Planted when he denied Christ at His trial. Matthew 26:34-35 Rebounded to lead the early church.
- Paul – Had Christians arrested & some murdered but Face Planted on the road to Damascus. Acts 9 He rebounded to be the intellectual mind of the New Covenant.
Now I’ve been told by police officers that police dogs are trained to WIN every time, which gives them a cocky attitude. Well, some Christian & religious folks may need a Face Plant now & then for “therapy & cleansing” of their “hard driving” attitude. BUT the humbling Face Plant can have long lasting repercussions & regrets, so how do we get closure? How to count losses & move on? I think this is where FAITH, PRAYER, and SCRIPTURE can be greatly helpful. We should ask God for peace & healing in the memory of the situation whenever it raises its ugly head. Example: “Lord, this thing has eaten me up for a long time, please heal by Your power & I will be grateful and help me to NOT repeat the mistake.”
-- “When pride cometh, then cometh shame; but with the lowly is wisdom.” Proverbs 11:2 KJV
-- “Keep your life free from love of money and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never fail you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
-- “Come now, you who say, ‘Tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain’, whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” James 4:13-14
-- “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleans us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
This Gospel-note is my “eating crow” message (which cost me a "munch of bunny" to learn the lesson). But it still needs an “appeal” to the reader. Are you moving toward God & able to see the wisdom of humility, & hazards of excess ambition?? Then Choose Jesus, He is Alive. And the Christian value system will become like “treasure hidden in a field” Matthew 13:44 which you found.
Many other interesting titles: www.gospelnotes.org * * F. J. Stone * *
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