Failure. Why are we so afraid of it? I am a person who absolutely hates failure; I hate being told things aren't good enough; I fear it. But this week I was reminded it is in fact one of the greatest reminders one could ask for (or not in some cases).
This week I made a MAJOR scheduling conflict, affecting 2 completely separate important events. For those who don't know me, you may think, 'oh, well that happens', but for me, no. I love being the person everyone can count on; I love being the person people call if something needs to get done; I relish being that reliable person. This scheduling conflict had so many reminders built into it. Let me explain a few you may be able to relate to as well:
1. We may be great, but God is greater.
I have a love/hate relationship with this concept. I love being great, but the moment I think I am great I have a God-smack moment. You know, the moment God smacks you across the face and says, 'Hello!' I often laugh at these moments after the fact, realizing how crazy I am to think how awesome I am without putting it into the greater perspective of how awesome God is. Maybe you have been God-smacked. I am smacked on frequent occasions and every time, it's no fun at first, but refreshing in the end.
2. Failure is the way to learn and a way to remember we are not God
How easy would it be for all of us to never make mistakes: we would never have to worry about disappointing anyone, never worry about an exam or meeting, never forget anything, ever again. This looks pretty good, but if this were the case, WE WOULD BE GOD! As stated above, I hate failing, but at the end of the day I love what it does: it helps me learn. Even if the only thing I learn is I am not God, the failure is worth it. I am learning to love failure because it will always lead to better things.
3. We need help.
One of the things I have always struggled with are thoughts like, 'I have arrived', 'I know all', 'my way is the best way'. Yes, I have and continue to struggle with this to the extent of not praying because I don't think I need God! It's true, this is me. After I have failed it's an incredible reminder I have NOT arrived, know all, or know best. I in fact need help, not just from God, but others as well. I would tend to bet if you were truly honest with yourself there are some of these thoughts in your head right now. Failure is a good way of bringing us back to truth: we need help.
4. We need others.
My primary love language (see The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman) is words of affirmation. More often than not after I have failed I go into isolation. Why? I don't feel myself to be worthy of people because of this failure, even if it is the most seemingly insignificant mistake. If I didn't have others I would probably stay in that isolated state. What I need is words of affirmation from others. I can tell you the thing I wanted the most after this specific failure was for someone, anyone, to tell me I am still a great person. In this case it was my lovely wife and mother who gave me these words, the two people I actually failed.
I am sure there are other reminders that come through each failure, but these are the one's I think are the most important. If we fail, yes we should ask for forgiveness where needed, but we should remember at the very least there is a God who continues to accept us, no matter what the failure. Jesus came to earth to die for us, so our failures would not be held against us. Take each failure as a reminder of how much we need God because we NEED God, a lot.
Failure is becoming less a fear of mine. It's becoming more of an expectation because I am not perfect, far from it. Through each failure I am trying to learn, something, anything, even something so small, because if there is nothing for me to learn then I don't need God. For me to believe that would be catastrophic, so I choose to believe, be reminded, and admit I need help.
I am always thankful for failure in the end. Sometimes it's painful, but this is good.
That's it.
Thoughts are of course always welcome.
This week I made a MAJOR scheduling conflict, affecting 2 completely separate important events. For those who don't know me, you may think, 'oh, well that happens', but for me, no. I love being the person everyone can count on; I love being the person people call if something needs to get done; I relish being that reliable person. This scheduling conflict had so many reminders built into it. Let me explain a few you may be able to relate to as well:
1. We may be great, but God is greater.
I have a love/hate relationship with this concept. I love being great, but the moment I think I am great I have a God-smack moment. You know, the moment God smacks you across the face and says, 'Hello!' I often laugh at these moments after the fact, realizing how crazy I am to think how awesome I am without putting it into the greater perspective of how awesome God is. Maybe you have been God-smacked. I am smacked on frequent occasions and every time, it's no fun at first, but refreshing in the end.
2. Failure is the way to learn and a way to remember we are not God
How easy would it be for all of us to never make mistakes: we would never have to worry about disappointing anyone, never worry about an exam or meeting, never forget anything, ever again. This looks pretty good, but if this were the case, WE WOULD BE GOD! As stated above, I hate failing, but at the end of the day I love what it does: it helps me learn. Even if the only thing I learn is I am not God, the failure is worth it. I am learning to love failure because it will always lead to better things.
3. We need help.
One of the things I have always struggled with are thoughts like, 'I have arrived', 'I know all', 'my way is the best way'. Yes, I have and continue to struggle with this to the extent of not praying because I don't think I need God! It's true, this is me. After I have failed it's an incredible reminder I have NOT arrived, know all, or know best. I in fact need help, not just from God, but others as well. I would tend to bet if you were truly honest with yourself there are some of these thoughts in your head right now. Failure is a good way of bringing us back to truth: we need help.
4. We need others.
My primary love language (see The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman) is words of affirmation. More often than not after I have failed I go into isolation. Why? I don't feel myself to be worthy of people because of this failure, even if it is the most seemingly insignificant mistake. If I didn't have others I would probably stay in that isolated state. What I need is words of affirmation from others. I can tell you the thing I wanted the most after this specific failure was for someone, anyone, to tell me I am still a great person. In this case it was my lovely wife and mother who gave me these words, the two people I actually failed.
I am sure there are other reminders that come through each failure, but these are the one's I think are the most important. If we fail, yes we should ask for forgiveness where needed, but we should remember at the very least there is a God who continues to accept us, no matter what the failure. Jesus came to earth to die for us, so our failures would not be held against us. Take each failure as a reminder of how much we need God because we NEED God, a lot.
Failure is becoming less a fear of mine. It's becoming more of an expectation because I am not perfect, far from it. Through each failure I am trying to learn, something, anything, even something so small, because if there is nothing for me to learn then I don't need God. For me to believe that would be catastrophic, so I choose to believe, be reminded, and admit I need help.
I am always thankful for failure in the end. Sometimes it's painful, but this is good.
That's it.
Thoughts are of course always welcome.
God I need Thee, Oh, I need Thee
ReplyDeleteEvery hour I need Thee
My one Defence, my Righteous,
O God how I need Thee