It's happened to the best of us. That moment when something so horribly embarrassing happens and you just want to sink through the floor. I had one of those "sink-through-the-floor-moments" a few years back when I was in high school. I was in tenth grade and had just finished competing in a huge basketball tournament. My team had won first place, and we were waiting in line to have our team announced and presented with our big trophy. Honestly, I was feeling pretty good about myself. That was until I experienced one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. Here's what happened ... As we started to make our way down a big flight of stairs toward the stage, I decided it would be fun to slide down the stair railing instead of walk. As I started sliding down the stair railing, I lost my balance, flipped over backward, landed on my head/shoulders, and everything in my hands crashed all over the floor. The worst part was that a bunch of basketball guys were right behind us and watched the entire thing take place. When I looked up, realizing I had just flipped over on my head, I wanted to disappear. It was absolutely a "sink-through-the-floor-moment." Have you ever had one of those? Embarrassing moments are many times completely unpredictable. They can range from getting a bad haircut, which has happened to me, to getting something stuck in your teeth and not realizing it until you get home. What can we do to prepare for these moments? Is there a way to handle them without feeling like we want to sink through the floor? Looking back on my embarrassing moment, I realized something amazing about it. Although there were a ton of people who saw me flip on my head, none of them made me feel bad about what happened. My basketball team immediately helped me up off the floor and picked up everything I had dropped. Some of the guys (who I didn't even know) ran over to make sure I was okay. WOW! What incredible friends for not making me feel worse than I already did. As I think about that situation, here are some takeaways I'd love to pass on to you.
1. Choose your friends wisely.
How would your friend respond if they watched you have an embarrassing moment? You want to make sure the people you surround yourself with are striving for Colossians 3 character qualities: kindness, love, compassion, humility, patience, and forgiveness.
2. Be a good friend.
It's important we display those same character qualities that we want in others. When something embarrassing happens to one of your friends, you can be the first to offer them a hand or share a kind word. God's Word urges us to always treat others like we want them to treat us (Luke 6:31).
3. Give yourself a break.
Remember that embarrassing moments happen to everyone. Even the President of the United States has them. Don't spend hours at home crying over an embarrassing situation. They will happen to the best of us. We need to give ourselves (and others) a little grace.
4. Your value is found in Christ alone.
God's love for you will never change, even if you flip off the stair rail onto your head. Remember that your value comes from Christ and what He did for you. Your worth is not dependent on how cool you are but on God's love for you. I love how Luke 12:6–7 puts it, "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows."
The next time that you or a friend experience a majorly embarrassing moment, remember what you learned today. Don't let the situation keep you at home crying. Give yourself and your friends some grace. And remember to be the kind of friend that you want others to be to you. I'd love to hear some of your stories of embarrassing moments from the past. It's always nice to know that I'm not the only one flipping off stair railings.