Some words about Failure
Can I say that word? Am I right to use that word in my vocabulary? I don’t know. Lately I have heard in a few places that word is not good to have. In fact, some places are trying hard to create an environment where there are no failures at all. I had a conversation with a teacher last year and her comment is that the school system was trying to make sure that students don’t fail because it wasn’t good for them. I heard it and really upset me to see how our society is taking values away from our children. I was shocked to hear that is not good for a kid to fail. Organizations are buying into this idea and are changing their entire program so people won’t have a chance to fail. What is the future of this world? Are we all going to be perfect? Are we going to be completely brain washed to the point that everything we do is ok? I am sad to see it but is true.
In High School, one of the projects that I had for my English class was to read the novel A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It was an eye opener to me at that time and to the date, I still reflect back on that book and see how our world slowly moves towards that fictional society. The society that is created was controlled by all kinds of things to the population but it tells the story of Marx that wants out because he does not feel right. In fact, if you go to www.goodreads.com, in the description of the book it presents a solution to Marx problem. He had to go outside the perfect world to find one of the “Savage Reservations, where the old, imperfect life still continues . . .”. The first time I read it, it made me think hard and long about a society like that. Now, that I hear the non sense on teaching people not to fail, it makes me wonder whether our world is going that direction. It’s scary!
Well, reflecting on my personal experience, I’m ok. In fact, I don’t fail. I am a well grounded person and like to measure the risks of every move I make and use all the formulas, common sense, prayer and resources that I have to make sure that every step I take is perfect. In fact, I have a direct line with God and that gives me the opportunity to make the decisions that He has for my life every time. I wish that was true. In fact, I have many stories to tell about my failures. If I start recalling them, I can make a set of books on them. In my life, as in most of you, there have been times when those moments of failure has cost me greatly. Taking back is a wishful thinking that we might have but sadly is not possible. Failure is part of life. If we don’t learn to fail, we will not learn to come back from those failures. Going through the Bible, I don’t recall a single person that did not fail, besides Jesus. Great servants such as Abraham, Moses, Sarah, Deborah, David, Peter, Paul and many others failed. But, the issue was not that they failed, the issue was that some did not wanted to make things right, just as King Saul did.
So failure is good and healthy but we need to recognize that we have failed. We need to learn from those mistakes and make the right changes to mature and grow. In fact, the first step to salvation is to recognized that we have failed from attaining salvation ourselves. Sin is the greatest example of failure. Adam and Eve failed to obey God at the beginning of times and that has been transferred to us all and we need to recognize it. If we take the word failure out of our vocabularies, then what we have left? The great thing about that failure is that there is a solution, and for sin is Jesus Christ.
Now failure is not bad either. In history, we find that everything that we have now where once a product of frustration to others. For example, how many times did Alexander Bell failed while creating the first phone? Now we have it in our pockets all the time and there is not boundary that can stop us from communicating with others in the other side of the world. In fact, that type of communication has given us the option to enjoy internet and the social media we use greatly now. To be successful, we need to learn to fail many times before we get it right. Watching the Olympics teaches us a great value on failing and bouncing back. Many ice skaters fail on a jump they are schedule to make but they react right away and keep working on the program. In life, we need to learn to do the same thing. Fail, get up and continue.
Between you and me, when was the last time you failed at anything? Today? Yesterday? Last week? It
doesn’t matter. God loves you. I was hearing the 2015 commencement speech at Dillard University delivered by Denzel Washington and the first point he stated was to put God first in everything that you do. The second point was the courage to FAIL BIG. We need to remember that God is first in everything but we need to try things (in a healthy godly way). If we don’t fail, it means that we never tried. Many times we are going to feel that we don’t have the resources, the money, the strength to do things, but we need to be courageous and try. God says, “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) While we do the work of God, our daily routine, we might fail but God is always with us. If you have not receive Christ in your heart, you are in a failing situation but you don’t have to be a failure. God loves you and has given you an option to not be a failure anymore. If you want to make things right with God, just pray. Tell him that you are tired of living a life of failure and you want to invite Christ into your heart. That you want to accept Him as Lord and Savior and have that sense of eternal life. We fail all the time but with God in our hearts, things are easier.
In conclusion, we need to teach people that failing is ok but there is a remedy to it. Not just for our
spiritual lives but for our lives here in earth. If you don’t try new goals, new projects, new careers, we will
never find the true purpose for our lives. May the Lord bless you and I hope that these words might encourage you to keep on going because life is to beautiful to let it pass by without trying new things for God’s glory and our growth.
Pastor Cesar