Don’t Become a Fatality of Failure

Today is “National Failures Day,” according to the calendar of weird and wacky holidays.

This day began in 2010 when “some university students in Finland got together and decided they needed to set a date to officially commemorate life’s failures.”

Before you brush it off as ridiculous, their web page makes the point that everyone has experienced failure in life. For instance…

JK Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter books. Before she was published, Rowling was rejected by 12 publishers. By 2004, Joan became the first billionaire writer.

Walt Disney, the founder of the multimedia company of the same name, was fired from his job, as the audience did not appreciate any of his works. In 1928, he created a recognizable character – Mickey Mouse.

Abraham Lincoln failed in business in 1831. Suffered a nervous breakdown in 1836. Lost the election to the Illinois State Senate in 1858. Yet was elected President of the United States in 1860. Lincoln advised, “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.”

Oprah Winfrey was fired from an early job as a television news anchor before becoming a successful talk show host and one of the richest women in the world.

Bill Gates was a Harvard dropout and failed at a business Traf-O-Data before founding Microsoft. Gates once said, “It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”

Michael Jordan, 6 time NBA Champion and MVP winner 5 times once said, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Furthermore, think of some of God’s greats, heroes of faith, who failed.

• Noah got drunk.
• Abraham lied.
• Jacob deceived.
• Moses murdered.
• David fornicated.
• Elijah ran away.
• Peter denied Jesus.
• Thomas doubted.
• Paul killed Christians.
• John Mark deserted.

Yet, none of these Bible characters are known for their failures, but for their successes. For their faithfulness. For their commitment and consecration.

The reality is that we’ve all failed at something. Made mistakes. And fallen short of God’s grace and glory. In fact, the Bible bluntly says, “All have sinned…there is none righteous, no, not one (Rom. 3:10,23).

Several years ago, John Maxwell wrote a book entitled “Failing Forward.” The thesis of the book was not to allow failure to discourage you, to define you, or to defeat you. Instead learn from failure. Allow failure to facilitate growth. Keep failure in perspective and see the bigger picture.

From a spiritual standpoint, we know God forgives our failures. The Bible reminds us that while we have sinned, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I Jn. 1:9). The Lord knows the frailty of our flesh (Ps. 103:14) and extends to us grace and mercy Heb. 4:16).

Aside from actual, overt sins, too many Christians allow past failures and/or the fear of failure to hold them back from greater service to the Lord. We may allow a failure in ministry, evangelistic outreach, discipleship, or fellowship, to rationalize our lack of involvement, a lessor role in the Kingdom, and dereliction of Christian duty.

Don’t allow to fear to paralyze you. Don’t give in to doubt. Don’t worry about past mistakes. Don’t define your Christian walk by pervious missteps. Don’t become a fatality of failure.

Remind yourself, that you are not a failure, just because you have failed at something. You see, as Mary Pickford opined, “Failure is not falling down, but the staying down.”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman