Food for Thought: The Power of Failure

We all try to prevent failure, whether in our personal lives, at school or in business. To fail carries with it a sense of shame and disappointment. The fear of failure keeps many people from taking risks. We think, “But what if I try and fail? I’d rather not try.” But, what if the Wright brothers had failed to fail? What if they had decided that it was just too risky to try to get a huge vehicle off the ground? None of us would be able to make a flight to visit family, to vacation or carry out business. The brothers had to fail, time after time, before they actually succeeded. Failure is not the end; it is the beginning of triumph. We learned to walk by falling and getting up and trying again. We learned to speak, by babbling until our sounds made sense. Hardly anything is accomplished on the first try. We have to dare to fail in order to have success.

So how is it that, knowing this, we so often fail to use our failures to help us grow? Why is it that we let our failures defeat us and wallow in our misery instead of getting back on the horse we fell off of? One reason might be that we deny that we have failed. We blame other people––“I got fired because my boss is a mean jerk.” “I got dumped because my girlfriend is too picky.” “I lost my business because customers are too stingy or too stupid to realize the value of my product.”

On the other hand, if we swallow our pride and own up to our part in the failure, we can learn to do better. We may have to admit that we overestimated what we can do and need to submit to some training before we look for another job. We may need to recognize that we have to be less self-centered in order to be in a relationship with another person. We may need to go back to the drawing board and find a better product or service that people actually need or want in order to have a business.

God does not look for perfect people to carry out his plans. He looks for people who are resilient, people who will humble themselves and stand up to the pressures of Christian living. He wants people who are willing to risk having others criticize them when they do what is right and just. He wants people who are willing to trust in His mercy in order to overcome the fear of failure, people who will trust Him to redeem them.

“He helps those who are in trouble; He lifts those who have fallen.” Psalm 145:1