Overcoming Failure (1 of 2)
Between my third and fourth grade years, my family moved, and I entered into a new school. My real love was being outside to hunt, fish, or play sports. Doing homework was not on my radar. I was warned and even disciplined for not doing my schoolwork, but I stood my stubborn ground. It was not a surprise when I failed that year. I was taken to another school district where I attended summer school to try catching up, but I failed there as well. At the start of the next school year, I was taken to yet another school to repeat the fourth grade. Finally, after the third attempt, they let me pass!
Even when I made it to high school, I had difficulty with basic reading. But reading was only one of the many areas in which I struggled. I was too short for the basketball team, rebellious towards authority, and had almost no interest in anything that had to do with academics. Over and over, I seemed to fail. But failures ended up being the greatest thing that could have happened to me. It was through failures that I was challenged to work harder, change my attitude, not quit, and finish the job. God used my dad to teach me much about failure and not giving up. He grew up in poor and difficult circumstances, “But,” he would tell me, “anyone can get out of bad conditions if they are willing to work hard enough.” His life motivated me to not accept failure, but to work hard and understand that anything can be overcome. Allow me to present some ways that anyone, no matter how bad the situation may seem, can overcome failure.
Learn from your failures.
Failure does not have to be final. In fact, it can be the great instructor you need. When my daughters were very young, we used to warn them to keep their fingers away from light sockets. All my children had been warned several times, but my oldest daughter decided she wanted to learn on her own. My wife was in the other room and heard a boom. She came running into the living room to see my daughter sitting on the floor on the opposite side of the room. She had stuck a nail in the light socket, and she was literally thrown to the other side of the room by the electricity. We are grateful God spared her life that day. Needless to say, my daughter never walked by or looked at an electrical outlet in the same way. She never had another desire to touch or toy with them, for the lesson was forever engrained within her.
And failures, no matter how big or small, can be great teachers in your life. Sometimes He allows us to fall on our faces so that we will look up to Him. Other times God allows us to fall so that we can learn and move forward. Determine you will learn whatever lesson God has for you through the experience of failure. You do not have to become bitter at God, at others, or even at yourself. You can find the value from the lesson, learn, and move forward to become a better person later down the road.
Get experience to help others.
Your failure was most likely painful, but it does not have to be in vain. Second Corinthians 1:3-4 says that God comforts us so that we may comfort others. You don’t need to be comforted if there are no obstacles and failures you’ve been through. It’s only after you’ve gone through the fire that you need to be comforted. But once God has comforted you, it will open your eyes to other people who have been through similar situations and need to be comforted as well.
This is how it has worked in our lives. When my wife lost a baby late in her pregnancy, we were devastated; but then God began to show us how many other people had been through the same situation. When we were robbed at gunpoint, felt betrayed by people we worked with, were criticized by others, were lied about, and made fun of, we thought it was the end of our ministry and lives. But God has used every one of these situations to allow us to minister and help others. I have met people who have been sexually abused, addicted to nasty drugs, and rejected by family because of their faith in Christ. They would’ve never chosen those difficulties in their lives, but God turned it for their good so these people could turn around and help others. So whether you think you’ve failed because of your own choices or because God allowed it to happen that way, realize that God can use your experiences to encourage, strengthen, comfort, and help others.
Place barriers for the next time.
No one wants to repeat a failure just for the sake of repeating it, so be wise and set barriers in place to help you avoid future failures. Set up accountability, habits, or a restructure of your life so you don’t fall into the same pit. Proverbs 22:3 and 27:12 both say that a prudent man foresees the evil and hides himself. A prudent man is a wise and well-advised man. He knows his weaknesses and is cautious to look ahead. Life has taught him lessons, so he chooses to look and avoid pitfalls so that failure is unable to wrap its tentacles around him and squeeze away his life. Learn from the prudent man. Become the prudent man. If you know failure is around the corner, then walk a different path to work.
Excerpt taken from book Overcomers, A Study on Gaining Victory Over the Obstacles in Life by Jeffrey Bush