What was your biggest fear as a child? There are the common ones like being afraid of the dark, spiders, monsters under the bed, going to the doctor, etc. I’m sure we all had at least one major fear, if not more. Speaking for myself, I was afraid of not being able to find the grocery store when I learned how to drive. Irrational I know, and I’m happy to report I know where all the major grocery stores are located in my town! The fears of childhood seem silly and small when compared to some of the fears you can hold as an adult. But the one fear I felt led to write about today was the fear of failure.
Pastor Devin shared on Sunday how both Judas and Peter failed Jesus, but the stark contrast between the two men came from how they chose to deal with that failure. One took it upon himself and was crushed by the weight of it, and the other turned it over to Jesus and is remembered in history as one of the pillars of our faith. The world and our culture wants us to believe that failure is the end, that when we fail we should assume things are completed, and that there is no need to go any further, because “further” has been taken from us…we failed. We ask ourselves the question, “what will this failure mean for my future?”
Isn’t the better question, “who has written my days for me?” (Psalm 139:16)
If we’re not careful, our fears can keep us from even taking that first step. The idea of failure stops us and keeps us in the same place, the same situation, or the same predicament we’ve been in. We might fail when we try to make a change, so why bother trying to change? It’s “safer” to remain in the same position we’re in because we know what to expect. We ask ourselves the question, “If I can’t see what is ahead, isn't it safer to avoid making a change?”
Isn’t the better question, “who goes before you?” (Deuteronomy 31:8-9)
The major takeaway I need to hear is that failure is inevitable. We are all going to fail at some point. Henry Ford's first two automobile companies failed. Michael Jordan was cut from his sophomore basketball team. Thomas Edison tried over 1,000 times before perfecting the lightbulb. Elvis Presley was fired from the Grand Ole Opry and told to go back to truck driving. These are great examples of perseverance, but we are still going to fail! The Bible says, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25-26
Peter denied Jesus three times and then went right back to what was known to him, but Jesus didn’t let him stay there. I am going to fail Jesus every day of my life, but my success will be measured by how often I bring those failures to Jesus because He uses everything for His good. So instead of looking to worldly things to define my failures and success, I need to be asking myself the question, “whose definition of failure am I using?”
Moving forward, it is my goal not to fear failure because we serve the one true God who will never fail.
In Christ,
Becca Drumheller
