Failure - Good Thing or Bad Thing?
...who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows achievement and who at the worst if he fails at least fails while daring greatly so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat" - Theodore Roosevelt When I think about the times I have failed at something, I recall being miserable at first. I was unhappy because I did not see the big picture. Later, as I looked back, I saw that something positive came of it each and every time. Perhaps I learned how not to do something. Sometimes I was led to direct my energies at a different project that eventually became successful. Occasionally I realized that the thing I originally wanted was not in my best interest. Each time, something beautiful resulted from a so-called failure. Fear of Failure I believe it depends largely on our perspective. It is sad when some people are so afraid of failure they don't reach beyond their personal comfort zone and try. I also believe, the root of not moving forward is fear. We need to acknowledge that fear is the work of the enemy. While God uses faith, the enemy uses fear to paralyze us. When fear and worry occur, now knowing their source, we need to refuse those thoughts and replace them with faith, hope and victory. The Bible gives numerous examples of people who tried and failed. There are other examples of people who did not try at all or tried a little, then just gave up. In my opinion, the latter is the greater disappointment for God. The spirit of the Gospel's message is about living with faith, hope and victory. Time and time again, we see references in the Bible including the words 'Do not fear,' and 'Fear not.' "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?" (Romans 8:31). The Big Picture Inevitably there are times when things go wrong or appear to. Indeed, Christians are not promised a soft life...