When Christ Fell the Third Time, I Found My Strength

by Maria
(Phoenix, Arizona)

I've walked the Stations many times, but last month something shifted at the Ninth Station. Watching Jesus fall for the third time under the weight of the cross, I saw myself exhausted from caregiving for my mother with Alzheimer's, feeling like I couldn't take another step.

But He got up. Again.

That image has carried me through the hardest days since. When I feel like I can't go on, I remember: He fell three times and still reached Calvary. My falls aren't failures, they're part of the journey. This station taught me that perseverance isn't about never falling; it's about rising each time with grace.

Comments for When Christ Fell the Third Time, I Found My Strength

Average Rating

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 07, 2026
Rating

by: Angela

Maria, your reflection on the Ninth Station resonates deeply with me. You've captured something profound about perseverance that I've been learning throughout my own life.

I understand that caregiving exhaustion, you describe that feeling of not being able to take another step. I've been a caregiver not only for family members but for others outside my family as well. There are days when you give everything you have and then wake up the next morning knowing you have to give it all again. The weight is real. The exhaustion is legitimate.

But you're absolutely right: He did get up. Again.

That's the gift of the Ninth Station, isn't it? It reframes everything. Our falls aren't character flaws or signs we should quit, they're part of the sacred journey itself. Jesus didn't fall because He was weak; He fell because the cross was heavy. Our crosses are heavy too.

Thank you for sharing your mother's story and your caregiving journey. That kind of love, day after day, even when you're depleted—that's you carrying your cross. And every time you show up again, you're teaching the rest of us what the Ninth Station really means.

Your reflection has given me language for something I've felt but couldn't quite express: My falls aren't failures—they're part of the journey.
I'm keeping that. And I'm keeping your example of rising with grace.

Blessings on your continued walk,
Angela

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Stations of the Cross: Personal Reflections.

👀 Eyes on Jesus