Failure Is Not the End
IF YOU DON’T QUIT; YOU WIN
Well, hello again family and friends. I am back with another nugget to share with you! Thank you so much for joining me on this journey.
Have you ever felt as though you somehow seemed to get it all wrong? You missed the mark? Do you swallow hard, and pretend that it’s all good?
When I was growing up, I tried to do everything right, but I still seemed to fall short. Oh, I was smart, but even then I seemed to get it wrong. As I sit here now, I am thinking about all the things that I have failed at. The things that I thought would make my mother happy with me were what I tried to do. She worked hard, often two jobs to keep a roof over my brother and me, and to feed and clothe us. Being older and a girl, I tried to keep the house and watch out for my brother, but he was hardheaded and determined to do his own thing. And so it went. It didn’t matter what I did or said, that was who he was.
I even failed in relationships. One boyfriend decided that we should break up, because I didn’t do what he wanted. I had failed again, and I almost missed a very momentous time in the life of a senior in high school, my senior prom. At the last minute I did get to go.
What was it about me that caused me to suffer such failures in my life! In my sophomore year of college, I found myself with child. I had let my guard down and thinking that I was loved I did the forbidden. I got my wings clipped, and found myself flying solo. Once again I had messed up, and then I had to hear the disappointment in my mother’s voice.
I did the very thing that I had said I wouldn’t do.
Now, here I am, a child of God raised up in the church feeling this way. I was always in the church, even before I physically came into the world. My mother was, and still is, a faithful worker in the church with a strong belief in the Lord.
After two failed marriages I was determined to press forward, to be better. I’m still making mistakes along the way, and I’m still failing. I’m still holding on striving every day to have more faith in God.
There have been countless individuals in the Bible who experienced failure, but our faithful God redeemed them. The experience of failure, and letdown goes back to the book of Genesis and Adam and Eve.
Jonah - When he refused to do what the Lord told him to do, he ran away to Joppa. Jonah was awakened from a deep sleep while on board a ship. He informed the sailors God was punishing him for his disobedience.
Moses - Doubted his ability to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt, and resisted God's plan for him.
Jeremiah - A prophet who struggled with sadness and wrote a book called Lamentations about his sorrow.
David - Tormented by King Saul, who chased him for years, forcing David to live in caves and survive on whatever food he could find.
Solomon - Although he had great wealth, wisdom, and intelligence, 1 Kings 11 reveals that he finished his life poorly.
God often uses the failures we experience to humble us, remind us of our limitations, make us more willing to depend on God, submit to His commands, and remain open to His leading in our lives.
…for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” - Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)
We fall down but we get up. Our failure is not the end. It is just an opportunity for us to grow. God has promised us that He will never leave us nor forsake us, and He who promised is faithful.
In an article from BetterUp it says that one should have compassion for oneself even in failure. Let it be a springboard to success, and not a beat yourself up session. Focus on being aware of what can be done moving forward. Appreciate the movement that was gained as a result of trying, and allow yourself some leeway without regrets.
When the disciples failed at healing, they saw themselves as failures. Why didn’t they succeed? Was it a lack of faith, or had they not fully learned from The Teacher? Failure is a good teacher of what we need to grow. They needed more. Jesus said that some things only come out through prayer and fasting.
Every failure is a step toward success. Looking around me I am coming to realize that all of my life hasn’t been tragic. Today. I was made aware that what I do offers some encouragement to those who are struggling. In Jeremiah 29:11 we are told that God knows the plans He has for us. Plans for a hope and a future. Maybe what I considered as failure, God saw as a positive part of His plan.
Well, that’s it for this time my friends. We’ll talk again later, but in the meantime I wish you love, joy, peace, and happiness. Until then may you be blessed.
“Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” ~Denis Waitley~
BARBARA G.