“Remember, failure is an event, not a person. When you stumble and fall (and you will from time to time), don’t stay down. Get up, learn from your mistakes, and go on: Everyday for the rest of your life, commit and trust your life and way to God and He will be with you every step of the way.” Dick Innis, ACTS International
Have you ever failed a biology test or even a spelling quiz? What about driver’s ed? Have you ever disappointed your parents or friends to the point that you simply wanted to crawl under your bed and hide for six months? Get this:
Failure is NOT a person! Webster tells us that failure means to “fall short of success or achievement in something expected, attempted, desired, or approved.”
Whew-Hoo! How often do we fail to remember this simple (but outrageous) fact? Who I am is not dependant upon what I do. And while the two are usually coupled, they are truly not exclusive.
Moreover, in examining how failure is defined within my own expectations and standards in life, I realize that I am always falling short of being perfect. Annoying yes, but also very realistic. In school, I always strived for that perfect 4.0 GPA; trying effortlessly to receive a perfect score on every assignment (often times overlooking the very essence or purpose of the paper or project). During my senior year of high school, a mentor reminded me that grades did not ultimately define or reflect on me as a student. This was freeing, but I was still bothered with my own lack-of-performance and inabilities.
For some reason, it seems that failure is failure, no matter how big or small the situation or issue at hand. I admit I often forget that I am a fallen human for whom failure and mistake is inevitable; I am not perfect. In the words of Billy Joel, “you’re only human!”
Interestingly enough, the Bible is full of examples of self-viewed failures God used to further His purpose. Moses stuttered, yet led the Israelites out of Egypt; David was shorter and weaker than his brothers, but became one of the most important kings in history; Gideon was a cowardly man hiding in a winepress when God chose him to defeat the Mideanites; Jesus selected 12 guys, mainly fishermen, to be His disciples who were hardly society’s elite; Matthew was a despised tax collector; Peter denied Jesus three times even though he swore he would never fall away - and Jesus still entrusted the foundation of the Church to him.
So why does God choose to use failures? I honestly don’t know: all I know is that He does. After all, His ways and His thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). Then again, what is failure? Making mistakes? Falling short? The ultimate failure was Adam and Eve’s sin that affected all humanity and led to Jesus’ death on the cross. Yet, God still loves us unconditionally. Despite our imperfections, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). Our identity is therefore not based on what we do or accomplish, but rather in Christ alone.
The truth of the matter is that there are many things we cannot control; as a result, we tend to criticize ourselves for not having the power to overcome. The famous preacher Charles Swindoll once said that life “is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” This means that even though we won’t always succeed or do well at everything, we do have the choice to learn from our mistakes and try not to repeat them. We can either move forward or wallow in self-pity. My biggest fear is failure, which can be quite overwhelming and paralyzing if I allow it.
I confess that my tendency is to engage in negative thinking when I experience failure and I sometimes feel like a loser. I hate making mistakes and not succeeding, which is due in part to my perfectionist and pessimistic mindset (as well as feeding into negative comments made by others). My prayer, however, is that God renews my mind and helps me to think more positively. It is how we deal with failure - I try to remember - that will determine our progression. Failure, in fact, can sometimes be a blessing as it keeps us humble, reminds us that we are not perfect and that we need God’s strength and grace every day.
Life is full of disappointment and failure. But as William Bolitho, the late author of Twelve Against the Gods said: “The most important thing in life is not to capitalize on our gains. Any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your losses. That requires intelligence, and it makes the difference between a man of sense and a fool.”
What's your biggest fear of failure?
Written by: Dahlia Liwsze; copyright virtuousreality.com
