Facing Failure

A couple of weeks ago, my pastor asked the congregation to anonymously answer a question on a website, the results of which he would use as a sermon illustration. We were asked, “What is your greatest fear?”. I sat for a moment to think about what my answer should be. It wasn’t more than a moment or two before that the answer became very apparent. Failure. I’m most afraid of failure.

Lo and behold, my wife answered the question the same way. In fact, when we looked at the results, “failure” and “failing” were the most prominent answers, followed by the death of a loved one. It goes to show you that this fear of mine isn’t exactly uncommon.

It’s a fear that I still struggle with on a regular basis. Even just in the last few days, the idea of failure has weighed heavily on my heart. There’s so much that I want to do, so much that I hope to be, and I often feel like I don’t measure up. And I’m certain that there are many among us that relate to that feeling intimately.

So what do we do? How do we handle this sort of fear? Here’s a couple bits of advice that bring comfort to me. Hopefully it brings comfort to you.

Failure Points Us to Grace

After a long string of successes, it’s easy to forget that we’re always in need of God’s grace. That’s unmerited favor. It’s God loving you in-spite of yourself, not because of your successes. Sometimes, I need a reminder of that. This may sound odd, but I believe that one of the greatest things about failure is that it points us to God. It points us to his grace.

What do I mean? Let’s take the example of moral failure- sin. Paul makes the point very clearly in Romans 5 that where trespasses increase, grace increases as well. He also points out that we shouldn’t sin more because of this. That’s the wrong response. The correct response is a grateful heart, knowing that there is grace even for that. There is grace for the husband or wife that feels like a failure. There is grace for the father or mother that feels like a failure. There’s even grace for the prodigal son. So when you fail, look to God’s grace.

Our Worth is Not in Our Successes

This is sometimes the hardest lesson to learn. When you have a goal that you strive for and you miss the mark, it’s easy to feel worthless. It’s easy to feel like a broken tool that needs to be thrown out. But God says no.

God says that our worth is not in our successes, but in Christ’s success. We are worth what Christ paid for us and there is nothing more valuable and precious than the blood of Jesus. Christ knew exactly when, where, and how we would fail along the way… and he paid the price for us anyway.

If I were to lose my job tomorrow and be unable to pay any of the bills, it’d be easy to feel like a failure and therefore a worthless husband. But no, if we look to Jesus we find that couldn’t be less true. Not that we shouldn’t seek to fulfill our responsibilities, but this life is more than bread and electricity. We have an eternity of worth awaiting us.

God Never Fails

God never fails. God never fails. Sometimes I need to hear that and say that again and again. God absolutely never fails.

There is no plan that I can make that will trump God’s sovereign plan. There is no failure on my end that will put a halt to God’s plans for me. God will never give up on me. He will ultimately bring me home.

There is no power on this earth, no distance… not even Satan himself can separate me from the love of God. When I sin and I feel the weight of my failures, I know that God has promised to perfect me some day. And I wait for that future glory.

God never fails. He will never fail you. No failure of yours can cause him to stumble. If you are a child of God, you are in the loving hands of your Father.

To Those Struggling

If you are struggling with the idea of your own failure, remember God’s promises. Reach out to those who love you. Feel free to contact me. Pray. Sometimes we look ahead and behind and can fall into a terrible slump. I encourage you to instead look up. Look up and see the glory of your Father.