Growing up, I remember my parents asking me about my biggest fear. I was sitting in the backseat of my dad’s Cadillac sinking into the soft, cream-colored interior running errands after church. I’m sure the sermon that day had to do with fear because that was the topic of conversation in the car that sunny cold, Minnesota morning.
Fear is the most prolific topic in the Bible, so it stands to reason God knew we would be fearful at times. In the book of Joshua, as Moses is passing the leadership staff, so to speak, God says to Joshua,“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NIV, when Joshua is fearful about taking over the staff from Moses to lead the Israelites to the Promise Land. After all, he had big sandals to fill.
I find it reassuring that one of the first things God says to Joshua is to not be afraid. So what does this have to do with my fear and the title of this post, Failure is Good? My answer is everything! When my parents asked me my biggest fear, I responded with one word, failure. I didn’t want to fail at anything, which since that was my biggest fear and we have a tendency to focus on what we fear, it had come to fruition, over and over again. I’ve failed at lots of things since my parents asked me that question when I was young, some in spectacular fashion and some in small, sad little ways that I and God know about.
What I struggle with and maybe you do to, is failure is necessary to succeed. It sounds counterintuitive, but failure actually increases our likelihood of achieving what we’ve been called to do. The ability to fail with grace, humility, and humor to identify lessons learned as we go through it, can only move us forward. Some of the biggest warriors and heroes in the Bible started out as failures. God can work with us wherever we are at, which gives me tremendous courage and I hope it does for you too.
Where I have a tendency to get stuck, is working through the failure in my head over and over again. Thinking, “Oh, I should have said this or I should have done that,” when in reality I needed to trust God more and rely on myself less because He will always guide me. However, I’m gradually learning with failure comes the ability to learn grace. God freely extends grace and forgiveness when we ask, but I struggle with extending those same qualities to myself. I haven’t mastered this yet, but God has patience with me and he has patience, love and acceptance for you too.
Here are the two parts that made me laugh aloud: “So what does this have to do with my fear and the title of this post, Failure is Good? My answer is everything!” and “spectacular fashion and some in small, sad little ways” –Thank you for the great reminder!