I am looking out of the window in our den at the frozen ground and I can hear the wind blowing. I am safe and warm inside of the house. My mug is filled with Door County Christmas Coffee and I think staying inside sounds like a good idea.
I believe that everyone fails at something now and then. The best of bakers from time to time will have a cake flop and they just cannot serve the less than stellar dessert. Let's face it, we are not perfect and sometimes we fail to achieve a goal or fall short of a task. The outcome is less than desired. But a good baker starts over and soon again a masterpiece is coming forth from the oven.
All too often when someone fails in their personal walk they give up and basically become paralyzed in the heart and mind and some never get back on the horse to give it another try.
For instance some have been spurned in their love life. That ,can really hurt and it often leaves emotional scars that are deep and not easy to forget. Many people will go for long periods, unable to truly love others because they fear of being hurt again.
I recall joining our grade school football team in 6th grade. I had been watching football on television, playing pick up games with my friends and my desire was second to none. But then I stepped on to the real field and in my first practice was hit so hard by a fullback with a head of steam that the wind was knocked out of me and I puked on the sidelines. I did not quit, but for several days I just did not engage fully during practice. I felt like a true failure and did not want to take the chance of being humiliated by this full back again while trying to make a tackle. A coach took me aside two weeks later and literally told me that my fear had me paralyzed and that I wasn't much use to the team. He spent some time showing me better ways to tackle. I listened, and at the next practice tried the techniques shown to me and was able to make a tackle or two. My confidence grew and I still failed from time to time, but used each failure as a lesson to get better.
Eventually grade school ended and many of us went on to different high schools. It just so happened that my full back friend went to a school that had to play my school during the football season. I had been blessed to make our team and knew the showdown was coming. Our coaches had scouted their team and kept telling us that this fullback was going to run all over us. I remembered the lick he put on me several grades ago and started to concede the fact that he probably would have a great game and we would lose the game. But something, made me get up at a practice and say " we can beat this guy." I played with him before and I know his moves. This is what we need to do. Funny thing, he was held to minus yards for the day and he took a pounding like he had never seen before. What hadn't killed me in sixth grade made me stronger and wiser. Had I quit I would have never experienced the win.
2 Timothy 1:7New King James Version (NKJV)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
My point is this. When we fail, or life fails on us, God is there, to pick us up, brush us off and then help us to continue on. He helps us overcome our fear of failure and we try again and again. We become better than our failures. We are bigger than our fears. God made us that way. With Him on your side you are a majority.
Philippians 4:13New King James Version (NKJV)
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Don't let the fear of failure stop you from trying. Don't let failure paralyze your life.
God bless,
Marty
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