Failure Doesn’t Mean Forever — Morning Devotions

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Transcript

Sir Edmund Hillary will always be remembered as a hero. Born in New Zealand, he became the first man to climb Mount Everest, the highest mountain of the world. He achieved worldwide acclaim back in 1953, but one thing we forget is he had failed before in his quest.

He refused to give up and he said, Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I’ll beat you next time because you’ve grown all you are going to grow, but I’m still growing. Inspirational comment, yes, and it showed something of his inner strength and determination. Edmund Hillary had an adventurous spirit, meaning he wouldn’t give up. Failure was not a word he would accept.

And his epic record reminds me of what Nelson Mandela once said. I never lose. I either win or I learn. It’s really impossible to be perfect and be successful all the time. Sometimes when faced with failure, we don’t know how to proceed or we succumb to our emotions and lose our way a bit. Dealing with failure is one of the most important parts of life and largely defines our character.

Unfortunately we compare ourselves to others who we believe are succeeding, doing better in life than we are. Maybe they’ve got better jobs or doing better academically at school or they make more money. They go on expensive holidays or may have a better house. And seeing all the things that they have that we lack makes us feel like a failure. And maybe you’ve said, as many have, I do feel like a total failure.

Perhaps your plans, your dreams never materialised or something you attempted didn’t work, or maybe you failed in your moral behaviour, or in your lifestyle and habits. How in the world can we face our failures without being devastated? We might feel life is a struggle just because we fail in one area. For example, a sportsperson. There will be times when they don’t come first. Most people understand this. History reveals many who didn’t always succeed.

Steve Jobs. He was ousted from the very company he built, JK Rowling, turned down by 12 publishers to whom the original Harry Potter manuscript was first submitted, and Walt Disney, he had to file for bankruptcy in his early 20s. So, if we learn from our mistakes, as many have, it will benefit us better in the long run. We do learn from that experience, and we can apply what we’ve learned the next time we try.

Failure is not really a failure. It’s just a lesson.

A necessity to move on to bigger and better things. It helps you improve and even try harder than you did before, maybe. Failure is just part of God’s plan, actually, in our lives for us to succeed. The Christian author CS Lewis takes a look at this topic in his very popular book that you can still buy called Mere Christianity. And this is what Lewis says. He talks about failure.

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It cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us to depend on God. We learn on the one hand that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and on the other that we need not despair, even in our worst, for our failures are forgiven.

So why carry a burden of guilt or bitterness when God comes alongside you and says – You’re not a failure. I love you. I can make your life worthwhile.

The Bible says in Proverbs chapter 3. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and He will show you the right way. Can you trust God to be true to His word? Yes, you can. His ways are not your ways. He knows all things that are going on in your life, your success and failures.

We are called to have faith in God’s plan even when things don’t go as we expect. It can be challenging to trust in God’s timing and purposes when we do experience failure, but we can find comfort in knowing that He is always with us, even in our darkest moments. Failure can help us develop empathy for others. When we experience failure, we’re more likely to be understanding and compassionate towards others who are going through similar struggles. Failure can also help us to develop a deeper trust in God.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, today thank you that failure is not forever. Just because I failed today doesn’t mean I’m going to do the same thing tomorrow. I can trust you. You hold my hand. You lead me through each day, and even in those days of darkness or tribulation, I know that you will help me to overcome all things, and I pray this for my friends today in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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