Wednesday, August 22, 2012

What To Do When You Fail


I’ve failed more times than I care to confess or remember.  In high school, I lost an ASB election and thought I would never live again.  It was humiliating.  I wanted to move to another school.  I didn’t know how I could pull myself together for the following year.  Yet here I am years later alive and well, with God’s plan still before me.  Failure is an event, not a person.  So I don’t mind telling you I’ve failed.  I have.  I’ve wasted chances.  I’ve completely blown it (believe me I have).  But don’t think for a minute I would ever call myself a failure.  I am what God says I am and God calls me his child. 

Samson experienced failure in a painful way.  He failed in such a way that the very people from whom he was supposed to deliver Israel ended up mocking him and making him their “pet” (pretty humiliating). Yet Samson did more than show remorse for his failure.  He didn’t blame others or circumstances. Instead, for the first time in his life, Samson repented.  Samson turned around.  And with God it is never too late to turn around.  At rock bottom, Samson took one tiny baby step in God’s direction.  And somehow…someway…

Samson accomplished more in his dying day than he did his entire life! With God’s strength, Samson was finally able to do what he was created to do (despite all of his failures).

Handling failure in our personal lives is difficult.  The pain of regret is real and tangible.  Yet the story of Samson teaches me that just because someone is down, doesn’t mean he is out.  We learn that despite our failures, God is strong enough.  I wanted to encourage everyone with this simple truth – God is still powerful enough to somehow and someway turn our failures into a good accomplishment. God never ceases to amaze.

Do you believe this?  Do you see failure as an event or a person?  Do you believe God can turn around any and all of your failures? 

Proverbs 24:16 - Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again.  

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