A couple days ago, I decided to go to Starbucks fairly early in the morning.* The weather was perfect, so I decided to enjoy my coffee outside. As I sat and drank, an old man in a crisp vintage brown suit walked past me, stopped and looked back at me and said, “The only real failure in life is the failure to try.” Then without further explanation, he winked, turned around, and went on his way. I’m pretty sure this guy was an angel because he brought me the word. To say the least, it hit me between the eyes.
You see, lately I’ve been thinking about fear, brokenness, change, hope, bravery, faith, the seemingly impossible, and believe they are all related. I am proud to say I have lived a pretty full life so far. I got to experience cultures and places that have shattered my idea of normal and expanded my view of God, laughed until I cried countless times, saw a faithful God come through in the clutch more times then I can remember, took risks that worked out well and some not well at all, jumped off 60 foot cliffs, sat on a cliff where on one side of me I looked into the ocean and saw a crazy lightning storm and on the other side a meteorite shower, and lots more. And yet, looking back at life, both recent times and distant memories, because I was afraid of looking stupid, being less then average, getting rejected, not measuring up, or put simply, because of a fear of failure, I missed out of so much LIFE.
How can a man call himself a man if he is not willing face and respond to his failures? Though I won’t commit to failure, I do commit to the possibility of failing. Abraham Lincoln once said, “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” A truth I have come believe is that often times success is only a few steps past failure.
I believe the process of risk taking and failing is the way of the Kingdom of God. The process will keep us humble and reveal our character. Jesus puts it this way, “The greatest among you will be the servant of all.” Paul said it like this, “Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” Again in Romans, Paul writes, “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”** As a people, we must descend into greatness.
I want to do all the things I am afraid of, even if I fail every time. Who knows, maybe I might be good at some of these things! Life is happening all around me, and I don’t want to miss any of it. When I fall in life, I will get back up. I find that in times of hardship and situation where I am uncomfortable or in need, I run to God. When we are willing to fail, we constantly put ourselves in a place of discomfort, compelling us to live by faith in God
When I look to the future and think about the vision God has given me, I have to be a man who does the hard thing, takes risks, and is willing to fail. I won’t be satisfied with only small victories I already knew I could win. I want the big victories. Bill Gates once said, ““Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”
I will learn from failure. I won’t let it stop me from trying.
Will You?
Ernest Johnston
*When I say fairly early, that means 10:15 am! Don't judge me.
** Matthew 23:11, 2 Corinthians 12:9, Romans 12:3
James Cameron was quoted (recently) saying, "failure is acceptable, but fear is not."
ReplyDeletei like that Woody Allen quote.