Failure happens
every day. Though we might desire to be perfect, it’s not happening in this
world where machines malfunction, computers crash, and people act like, well;
people! The Lord blesses me with many
advantages, enriches me with gifts of grace, and still I fail. Some failures creep up on us, the result of
multiple choices that produce unforeseen results. Other failures happen in a moment as we react
before we think. Sometimes we just do what we want to do, knowing full well that
we are offending God and/or man, yet we are willful enough to do it, say it,
choose it anyway – consequences not withstanding!
Peter was
forewarned of pending failure. At the Passover table "Peter
declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.” “Peter,” Jesus
replied, “the truth is, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will
deny me three times.” “No!” Peter insisted. “Not even if I have to die with
you! I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same."
(Matthew 26:33-35, NLT) And hours later,
they all ran off into the night when soldiers showed up. Peter stood at a fire and swore to those who questioned
his Galilean accent, “I never knew Him!” Failed!
David comfortably
settled into the role of king. The borders were secure. His generals capably in
charge of his army. He was full of confidence. Life was good, very good, after
many years of hardships. So, what does he do with his success? "The following spring, the time of year
when kings go to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to destroy the
Ammonites. … But David stayed behind in Jerusalem. Late one afternoon David got
out of bed after taking a nap and went for a stroll on the roof of the palace.
As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a
bath." (2 Samuel 11:1-2, NLT) He was no kid, unaware of the power of his
sexuality. Will he look again? He did
and more. A afternoon tryst led to an
unplanned pregnancy. He created a conspiracy
to bring about the death of Bathsheba’s husband. Ultimately, he disgraced
himself in the eyes of God and man. Failed!
A couple lived in
a garden perfectly balanced, their every need provided. God walked with them every evening. They never
disagreed, had no weeds to pull, enjoyed perfection. There was just one proviso
– “Don’t eat of the tree at the center of the Garden!” Along comes the tempter, with a suggestion
that God is not good, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary. “He’s holding out on you, doesn’t want you to
be like Him, that’s why He won’t let you have that forbidden fruit.” Ah, Eve turn away from him! Adam lead her to renewed worship of your
Creator. But, alas, they did eat of it. "When
the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the
eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also
gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of
both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig
leaves together and made coverings for themselves." (Genesis 3:6-7,
NIV) Failed!
These are our stories, too. They are part of the
Scripture to help us to learn, to show us that we have a shadow that lurks just
out sight that will draw us from the love of Abba, that will lure us into sin
where seeds of our destruction are sown.
So, what can we do with our failures?
Learn from them! Failure creates pain and that is a powerful motivation for
change.
Accept and give forgiveness! Failure can open us
to the grace of God and, when we experience His divine mercy, should make us
tender and merciful, too.
Grow through them! Yes, failure is part of life. The more boldly we live, the more we risk,
the greater our potential for failure; and success. In his quest to create the incandescent light
bult, Thomas Edison spent a fortune as he built model after model that
failed. His comment? “I have not failed.
I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”― Thomas A. Edison
Lean hard on the One who cannot fail! "Because of the
LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are
new every morning; great is your
faithfulness. I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will
wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who
seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD."
(Lamentations 3:22-26, NIV)
__________
No comments:
Post a Comment