I would guess that one or two of you have, at some time or another, felt like a failure. I would guess, further, that I just made a monumental understatement. I would think that such a feeling is nearly universal. For some more than others, I'd guess that the feeling of being a failure has occurred in just about everyone on the planet at some point or another. So, what to do? How do we get past that?
Look at Peter. He was so earnest. He was so intent on doing the right thing. He promised Jesus, "I will lay down my life for You" (John 13:37). Do you remember Jesus's response? "Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times" (John 13:38). What a failure. It's interesting to note, then, that Jesus did not say so about him. Jesus did not urge Peter not to deny Him. In the Luke account, Jesus told him, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers" (Luke 22:31-32). Do you see it? He didn't say, "Don't do it, Peter." He said it would happen, "but I have prayed for you." In fact, Jesus knew that God would use Peter's failure in Peter's life to "strengthen your brothers."
It is often our strategy to try talk people out of their feelings of failure. I suppose it's fine if it works, but the truth is we all fail. It's the nature of being human. So trying to talk someone who actually failed out of feeling like they failed would be pointless; indeed, a lie. Instead, we need to be reminded that God causes all things to work together for good, including our failures which can be very real. Genuine comfort for people who feel like failures isn't likely found in simple positive thinking. It's found in Christ. It is found in hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (See 1 Thess 1:3, where hope in Christ provides steadfastness). It's found in the certainty that, even if we meant it for evil, God meant it for good (Gen 50:20). In short, comfort for failures is found in God, not in trying to make failures feel better. True help for failures is found in pointing away from failures to God who never fails.
3 comments:
The advantage of having a Sovereign God is that even in my failures, He can still accomplish His plans. Praise God.
I think it's amazing that we can admit failure where failure actually occurs AND praise God because He can use it despite my failure. We don't have to deny one reality to accept the other.
Living with our human condition successfully seems to come down to not excusing away our failings but instead being brutally honest about ourselves to ourselves--to the point that we admit that we have failed so badly that we need a Savior. Many people just can’t do that, so they forfeit that forgiveness and the “clean slate” it provides. That’s a tragic failure!
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