Most people could recognize the character in the picture above without reading any further. The image goes along with a childhood poem that many have grown up hearing. If you’re like me, you probably have no idea where the story came from but you joyfully sang along as your parents recited it. Who knows, maybe the person telling you the nursery rhyme didn’t even know it’s meaning or origin.

As the image portrays, Humpty Dumpty is an egg, yet if you notice, an egg is never mentioned in any of the lines.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, 

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; 

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men 

Couldn’t put Humpty together again.

So most likely…it’s a riddle. The majority agree, when studying the context and history, that this is the case. The rhyme dates all the way back to the 17th century and has been changed only slightly over time. Some theories exist  linking the nursery rhyme back to certain historical events of the 1600’s. However, this isn’t meant to be an analysis of a beloved nursery rhyme. Instead, I wanted to share how the four lines of this riddle relate to the human condition (don’t laugh, I’m being serious).

Here’s the breakdown:

Line 1- Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Walls, for centuries, have been a symbol of security. People are, by nature, driven to create or seek out security. Unfortunately it is often sought out in all the wrong things . We look to money, appearance, relationships, material possessions, praise from others, achievements, and work. 

Line 2-Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All but one foundation will eventually crack and crumble and cause us to go barreling down out of control. When our ‘security’ is shaken, (because it is eliusive, unstable) we lose our grip and fall. Some fall harder than others. 

Line 3 & 4- all the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty back together again. When we fall, and are broken, (which is our condition from the start) no matter of human fixing can ever make us whole again. 

Insert Jesus Christ…when we sit on the foundation and security of Christ, no matter of shaking can ever make us fall because we are held firmly in God’s hand. By shaking, I’m not saying that we won’t have concerns or hardships. Jesus actually promised that we would. I am saying that those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ will be able to stand strong in the fiercest storms. And in the light of eternity, we can never be shaken loose from God’s grip!

“I (Jesus) give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.””

‭‭John‬ ‭10:28-30‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Jesus will only be inserted into the scene of one’s life by those who see that they are broken. They come to a place of humility and transparency about their need and hurting. They see that something huge is missing from their lives and that it can only be filled by Jesus. It’s best to realize this before we ever fall off the wall. BUT, Jesus is every bit as available, seeking and calling out to those who are laying, broken and shattered at the bottom of the wall. 

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””‭‭

Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The truth is, we are all broken vessels that can only be mended by The Potter’s hands.

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”‭‭

Romans‬ ‭3:23-26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The amazing thing is, that it’s free and available to anyone who calls on the name of Jesus. We don’t have to be ‘put together’ to fall at His feet. It’s impossible to be put together before a relationship with Christ. 

“”Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:4-8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

After we come to Christ, we still need to keep building our lives on what He teaches and how He lived. A parable Jesus taught can very closely tie to the 17th century nursery rhyme.

“”Everyone then who hears these words of mine(Jesus) and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:24-27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I share this for all who are hurting, all who don’t know where to turn, all who seem lost, all who are building their lives up on false security, all who recognize the void deep in their soul and have never found a way to fill it. There is hope and life and healing. I share this for the believer who is compromising, who lives just as a non believer does, who is Christian by title only. There is a true life with Jesus and its so much more. Maybe you lost your way. There is a way back and an abundant life to be had. I share this for those who have been serving Jesus. Rejoice in our savior Who has put us back together into a new creation!

God bless my brothers and sisters. May Christ’s love overwhelm you!