The Art of Falling

Last weekend in Cleveland, I had the joy of visiting the Ararat Judo Center with Der Hratch and the young people from our Cleveland parish. The center is run by Ghazar, who began practicing judo in Armenia shortly after I left, training at the same school under the same coaches.

The moment I stepped inside, a flood of childhood memories came rushing back. From the age of six until I was thirteen, I practiced judo. Those seven years taught me discipline, balance, patience, respect, and self-control. But the most important lesson came on the very first day.

The first thing they teach you in judo is how to fall. Before learning to throw anyone, you learn to protect yourself by positioning your hands, protecting your head, and moving with the fall rather than resisting it. The more you stiffen your body, the greater the risk of injury. The secret is to relax, accept the fall, and move in a way that reduces its impact.

I believe there is a beautiful spiritual lesson here. We all fall in life. We make mistakes, lose our patience, hurt people we love, and sometimes make decisions we deeply regret. But often, what hurts us most is not the fall itself. It is our resistance to admitting that we have fallen.

We become defensive. We justify our actions. We blame others. We hold on to our pride because admitting our weakness feels like defeat. Yet the more we resist the truth, the more we hurt ourselves spiritually.

This is why humility is so important in the Christian life. Humility allows us to acknowledge our mistakes without losing hope. It gives us the courage to say, "Lord, I was wrong. Forgive me. Help me begin again.”

Scripture reminds us, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

God does not ask us to pretend that we are perfect. He asks us to be honest before Him. When we stop defending our mistakes and begin surrendering them to His mercy, healing becomes possible.

So when you fall, don't lose heart. Humble yourself, ask for forgiveness, reach for His hand, and rise again. And remember the beautiful promise of Scripture: “The Lord upholds all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down” (Psalm 145:14).