My Ideal Has Fallen
My Ideal Has Fallen
Question
What can a person do to regain his trust in people after his ideal has fallen before his eyes?
Answer
The first thing I would like to say to you is:
Let your ideal be the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and the lives of the saints.
Even regarding the saints, Scripture tells us that they were human beings like us and were subject to falling. The Bible records some of the sins of the fathers and prophets. Indeed, it says of Elijah, who shut up the heavens and opened them, and who was taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire:
“Elijah was a man with a nature like ours” (James 5:17).
And yet, he “prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain”…
Therefore, let your heart be compassionate toward people.
Do not say, “My ideal has fallen before my eyes!” Peter, for example, did not cease to be an ideal because he denied the Lord before a servant girl, cursing and swearing, and saying, “I do not know the man” (Matthew 26:69–74). The prophet David did not cease to be an ideal when he committed adultery, arranged for a man to be killed, and resorted to deceitful methods (2 Samuel 11).
And the same applies to the other sins of the prophets. Therefore, how difficult it is for you to say that your ideal has fallen before your eyes! David says of the Lord and His forgiveness:
“For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14).
Remember that the saints are subject to severe spiritual struggles. Scripture says of sin:
“She has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men” (Proverbs 7:26).
Although they fell as those who were slain, Scripture still described them as strong. And despite Samson’s fall before Delilah’s temptation, the apostle included him among the men of faith (Hebrews 11:32–33).
How, then, can you regain your trust in your ideal?
You should remember his former virtuous deeds, because of which you chose him as an ideal in the first place. Also, you should not erase his entire character because of one particular act. Rather, say to yourself: “Every human being has weaknesses”, and pray for him…
Know that no one is completely immune from making mistakes.
And if you witness a mistake made by someone you regarded as an ideal, do not lose your trust in all people.
There may be other role models whom you know or do not know. So do not generalize the problem you encountered, nor become distrustful of everyone. There is another point I would like to tell you:
Many righteous people who fell and then repented were raised by their repentance to levels far higher than their former state.
It is possible that an ideal person may fall. Yet the grace of God does not abandon him as long as he humbles himself before God. How easily grace can lead him to a repentance marked by a broken heart and humility, raising him to a level far higher than where he was before.
In any case, learn a lesson from the fall of that person you regarded as an ideal…
