King David was "a man after God's own heart," but he had his dark side to be sure. I especially appreciate about God's word that His spirit would prompt the biblical writers to include this story. Given that ancient peoples divinized their kings and rewrote the record of their faults, it's instructive (and oddly encouraging) that Scripture would paint such an unflattering portrait of David's royal family.

David wasn't alone in his weakness, nor are we. So many of the characters in God's great story were deeply flawed people. One writer points out, "Abraham was a liar. Jacob defrauded his father and brother. Moses was a murderer who resisted God's call. Jonah complained about God's mercy to the pagan Ninevites. Peter denied that he would deny Jesus, but then did so three times. Paul lamented that he was the least of all the apostles for his persecution of the church."

And it is Paul who points us to a theology of weakness-- even boasting in our weakness-- and God tabernacling there.

Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest, has a new book titled "Falling Upward" (2011) that talks about a theology of  weakness. It's what you might call a spirituality of imperfection or successful failure. "The genius of the biblical revelation," he writes, "is that it refuses to deny the dark side of things, but forgives failure and integrates falling to achieve its only promised wholeness."

So, like David, we all fall. But when we do, let's look for our weakness and invite God to dwell there. Let's ask Him to integrate our falling into a promised wholeness. And in so doing, let us fall upward.

Falling upward with you,

Pastor Chris