Mother Goose Comes to Church

How to Deal With Failure

It is January so a lot of people have made plans and resolutions.  The problem with all of it is that they are so hard to follow through on.  We start really good and then life sort of happens.  Many times we just quit when we fail.  I think Jack and Jill teach us that we cannot just quit.  We have to get up and go again. 

Jack and Jill went up a hill

To fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down and broke his crown

And Jill came tumbling after.

The question is not if we are going to fail, but how we will respond to our failure. I think we need to look at maybe why we fail and then figure out how to start again after we fail.

Why We Fail

Forgetting the Past

Sometimes we fail because we forget the lessons from our previous failures.  We want to get over the failure but not forget the lesson.  If we forget the lesson then we waste the failure.  Learning something from failing redeems the failure.

Advancing to Something New

Anytime we try something new there is a chance we will fail.  After all since we started trying to walk our life has been marked by failures.  If we stop when something does not go right, we would have stopped a long time ago.

Involved in too Many Things

If you try to do everything well, you will do nothing well.  Not sure about the grammar on that one, but I think it is true.  Sometimes we head out in so many directions that we cannot go anywhere.

Limited by Our Humanity

Superheroes make great comic books but, bad stories.  Every once in a while we need to realize that we are not superheroes but just people.  So we will not always be perfect at what we try to do in life.  If you are human do not be surprised when you fail.  It is just what we do.

How We Start Again After We Fail

Admit the Failure

How many times do we look at other people and think: “Will they ever get it? Do they really know just how bad it is?”  We look at others and think how can they not see the problems in their lives?  Well we better stop and admit when we fail.  We are so busy trying to look good that we forget everyone can see right through our games.  The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” John 1:9.  We need to say it out loud to God and He will help us move past our failures.  If we do not admit it then we cannot move past it.

Gain Wisdom From the Failure

If we do not learn from our failure then we have failed for nothing.  If we are going to fail we might as well learn something from it.  After all if we do not learn all of life is wasted.  Every day is a chance to learn something new.  If we are not learning then we are not living.  So gain wisdom every chance you get.

Align Yourself for Another Go at Life

When we fail it is a good chance to look and narrow in on what we want to do.  After all if you try to do it all you will end up doing nothing.  Proverbs 16:9 says, “An intelligent man aims at wise actions, but a fool starts off in many directions.” So find out where you bounce from failure.  Sometimes failures redirect us to a better thing and life.

Invite Others to Help

We need to realize that many times we fail because we go at life alone.  No journey taken alone really changes anyone but you.  God said the only bad thing in the garden was when Adam was alone. We need to know that life together is so much greater together than alone.  It is just the way we work.  Proverbs says that iron sharpens iron and we can improve each other.  Life together provides strength, joy, courage and love.

Now, Brush Yourself Off, Laugh and Start Again

There is a promise that we need to remember every day.  “Even though good people may be bothered by trouble seven times, they are never defeated…” Proverbs 24:16.  If we remember that every failure is not the end; but a chance to start again wiser and stronger then we will be alright.  Every once in a while you honestly just have to laugh at yourself.  We overestimate what we can do at times.  That is Okay, because we will get further than we think we can.

Failure is certainly a part of life.  We get to decide if it is a good part or a bad part of life.  Redeem your failures like you do coupons.  If we put them in the drawer then we redeem nothing.  If we turn them in then we receive something.  If failure is a part of life, then make it a part that pushes you forward.