Failure is not fatal!

I have some inspirational quotes at the bottom of my diary. There are days when they don't really speak into my situation, but there are some days where they really make a lot of sense. This is what the quote said today:

"Success is not final; Failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

None of us enjoys failing at anything, but it is a part of life. However, it is important to have the courage to get up and try again. This also applies in our Christian faith. Although we strive to be Christ-like, we will make mistakes and disappoint ourselves and the Lord. The important decision for us to make is to ask for forgiveness, and then to ask God to help us move ahead. 

1 Chronicles 28:20 - David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.

Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to continue following you, no matter how imperfect we feel. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Failure prepares us for victory

"People succeed when they realize that their failures are the preparation for their victories." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I find it interesting that we live in a culture where 'failure' is frowned upon. We expect to get everything right and to be perfect all the time. Not only is this unrealistic, but it is also very narrow-minded. Life is full of 'mistakes' that led to amazing inventions or success stories. So, why are we so afraid of failure?

I was reminded of a number of Biblical heroes, each of whom FAILED at one point in their lives, yet was used in a mighty way for God.

Moses
David
Gideon
Paul
Peter

Remember that even Jesus' death on the cross was deemed to be a failure by some people.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

26a - Delusions of grandeur

We are all a lot like Simon Peter - we have delusions of granduer! We promise much, but end up falling short of our bold promises. We mean well and we desperately want to give our all to Jesus, but in the end our frailties trip us up.

³¹ On the way, Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say,

‘God will strike the Shepherd,
    and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

³² But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”

³³ Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.”
³⁴ Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
³⁵ “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same. (Matthew 26:31-35)

We can't fault Peter for his willingness to try and this is why he is such a beloved disciple for all of us. He keeps stumbling, but then rising again. He makes a mistake, wrestles with his sins, and then comes clean before Jesus. And in seeing the heart of Peter, Jesus loves him and gives him the greatest responsibility of all - carrying the message of Hope to a broken world.

This Holy Week remember that Peter was forgiven for his failings and lauded for his Faith. 

It is not our failings that will turn Jesus away from us, but rather our refusal to to recognise him as our Lord.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Is it a Failure?

Who decides if something is a failure or not?
And when do you make that judgement call?
The motivation for this question comes from a few passages in the Bible, but I will use one example today - John 6:66-67 (the Message)

^"After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: “Do you also want to leave?”
Peter replied, “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.”

If we were taking a critical look at Jesus' ministry, just after a lot of his followers decided to leave his group, we would conclude that Jesus' future looked shaky. Being a leader and Messiah means you need people to follow you, so when a large portion of these people decided to bail, well we would assume that Jesus' ministry was on the road to failure! 

However, making the judgement call of a FAIL at this point would be far to premature wouldn't, especially with what we know of the future outcome? Jesus' ministry was not a failure, despite this setback. 

And so, if you are facing a difficult time at the moment and things look like they may be failing, do not be too quick to judge. With God there is always room for a turn around. 

Living in Grace
D3LM3

A fine balance

"No one has ever fallen so grievously that he may not rise again. Conversely, no one stands so firmly that he may not fall. If Peter (and Paul and Barnabas) fell, I too may fall. If they rose again, I too may rise again."  - Martin Luther. 

This quote from Martin Luther offers us 2 important insights:

1. Even if we fail, we can get up again and carry on. As I was saying in yesterday's post, no failure needs to be final!

2. We should always remain HUMBLE, because we all can make a mistake. It only takes a second to fall off the tight rope - it only takes a second to let Jesus down and to regret that for a long time.

I am very thankful for the examples of people in the Bible who have fallen, but who have then risen again and proved to be Godly men and women. 

May God help us to walk through life finely balanced!

Psalm 40:2 - "He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Overcoming failure

It has taken me two years to get the monkey off my back, but on Saturday I finally managed to conquer a challenge that has been bugging me. In 2013, I attempted to ride the Hill2Hill (half distance) bike race and it was something I had never done before. In hindsight, I hadn't trained as much as I could have and I was ill in the week before the race. Well, as you may remember I had to bail around the 30km mark and it left me feeling disappointed.

I don't like the taste of failure - I am not sure there are many of us who do - and so I have lived with that nagging sense of "failure" for 2 years now. I can't tell you the elation I felt on Saturday when I crossed the finish line and to top it off I was feeling great! I am grateful to my friends and team-mates who encouraged me across that finish line.

So, here is my observation on this:
Failure doesn't have to define you. 
Failure doesn't have to be the last word spoken from a particular experience.
Failure is not fatal.

When God is in our lives, He is able to transform anything into something worthwhile. Well, that is what I believe!

Psalm 73:26 - My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever. 

James 5:11 - As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

So, DON'T Give up!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Failure isn't final

I often reflect on the first exam I ever failed. I still remember it as if it was today. When I was studying towards my BComm, I got 27% for one of my tests - it was a huge shock to the system, but it certainly gave me a wake up call. The one good thing that came out of it for me was that I realised that my failure was not fatal (or final). It hurt me, but it never destroyed me.

The same is true of the times we 'fail' in our faith. Our sins should never keep us down in the dumps because Jesus has already forgiven us for our sins. It is through his grace that we are given the opportunity to start afresh. So, when you let yourself, God and others down, don't let it stop you from trying again.

Here are some lovely words from Eddie Askew:

"Yet failure isn't final.
The quiet ones came out at last.
Out of the shadows.
Found courage in their grief.
Found strength to stand.
To them the blessing of receiving Christ,
dead, BUT alive.
Finished, yet just begun."

James 3:2 - "Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way."

Living in Grace
D3LM3