Not to promote undue concern, but it’s entirely feasible that you could fall down a well at some point in your life. The odds are slim, I know, but it’s still conceivable. It occurs every year, all over the world, and survival is no guarantee. Accidents like these are real, both in the physical sense, as well as the spiritual. And although I hope it never happens to you, it’s always best to be prepared.

WHERE IT STARTS

Anyone who’s taken a tumble of this kind will attest, the real surprise comes not in the falling, but with the landing. The actual descent happens fast, so it’ll be over before you even realize it. But the pain you feel once you’ve stopped makes the landing almost impossible to forget. The bottom of a cistern is no vacation destination, as you will quickly discover. 

GET YOUR BEARINGS

Assuming you survive the initial fall, you’ll need to come to terms with where you are, and how you got there. You may not realize that you’re in a well at first, and disorientation is probable, so you’ll need to look for clues as to your whereabouts. Darkness and terror are helpful here, because when found together, they serve as a strong indication that you are indeed stuck in a pit.

If you let yourself believe whatever you feel, you may never again see the light of day

Now, the first principle of finding your way out of a deep, dark hole, is to look up. Whether you find yourself in a physical well, or a spiritual depression, up is your only way out, and out is where you need to go. So direct your attention heavenward.

(And then brace yourself for what you’re about to see).   

ADJUST YOUR EYES

Rather than the compassionate gaze from those above, you’re probably going to notice what appears to be indifference. Standing at the mouth of the well will be your own colleagues, none of whom seem to have noticed your plight. They will appear to be so unaffected by your trauma, you may find yourself wondering if, maybe, it was they who pushed you down, and that perhaps your trouble is their fault. You may even feel a tinge of relief for having fallen out of fellowship with them.

Author Alan Redpath writes, “I might suggest, perhaps with more truth than some of us would like to admit, that a persecuted Christian sometimes gets better treatment from the enemies of God’s people than from his Christian friends. Was it not the king of Judah who imprisoned Jeremiah, and the king of Babylon who let him loose? We glory in our wonderful gospel of love and mercy for the unsaved, but we usually act as if we have no gospel for the saint who has been tripped up by the devil!“

But be careful here. If you let yourself believe whatever you feel, you may never again see the light of day.

It’s a fatal mistake to think you can escape that hole by securing sympathy for yourself. Don’t even bother trying. Emotions are like quicksand. The harder you work to gain a foothold thereby, the more likely it is that you’ll drown in disappointment. Nobody’s ever been rescued by pity, and you don’t need help sinking any further than you already have. Look up, yes, but don’t expect to find comfort (Psalm 69:20).

CHECK YOUR VIEWPOINT

The angle you have on life from the bottom of a well is entirely skewed. The truth is, your companions aren’t the reason you fell in the well…you are. And yet, by divine providence, they will prove to be the very help you need to get out of it. Your friendship with those in God’s family is the only rope long enough to reach you where you’re at. If you ever hope to get back to the surface after a fall like yours, resist all temptation to cut the cord.   

Coming back to solid ground will restore your perspective. The difference in cleanliness between yourself and your allies will become readily apparent. You’ll see at once that it wasn’t your friends who were defiled, it was you all along. Get ready to be disgusted with yourself.

But they’ll understand. They’ve probably fallen into a similar hole themselves. They’ll help you wash off, tidy up, and move on, and the whole terrible episode will become a thing of the past.

Just try not to forget what happened, ok? Some lessons can only be learned in a subterranean classroom, and you don’t want to repeat a course like that if you don’t have to.  

WALK WITH CARE

It’s always best to step with caution as we sojourn through this life. Yet don’t be surprised when God peels back a layer of grace that long concealed the depth of your own sin. And don’t be shocked when you find yourself plummeting into a deep, dark well of despair because of it.

It’s entirely feasible that you could fall down a well at some point in your life

Falling down is easier than you think. If and when that happens, you’ll be glad you took the time to read up on it beforehand. “Pay careful attention to how you walk” (Ephesians 5:15) … “If you think you’re standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall” (I Corinthians 10:12).

God bless.