Understanding Failure

Some people are afraid of failure so they are passive. People with perfectionist issues often deal with this struggle. Unable to take charge of their decisions, they feel all bad, self-condemned, and a total failure when they make a mistake. Fearing failure again, they rarely take risks to try something new, or go deeper into relationships.

Different kinds of failure: There is a false guilt of failure because of a wrong view of success. Right from the beginning, Isaiah, after seeing the Lord high and lifted up, after confessing his own sin and that of his nation, and after saying, “Here am I, send me,” God sent him to preach to a people who would not listen and told him so beforehand (see Isaiah 6:8-10). In the eyes of people, he was a failure, but not in God’s eyes. There is another class of failure; those who mistakenly believe they are successes. These believers may earn an honest living and be fine supporters of the church. They unconsciously (or sometimes all too consciously) consider themselves examples for others to follow. Yet they do not realize that from God’s perspective they are failures (see Proverbs 16:5). One man put it this way: “I climbed the ladder of success only to discover that my ladder was leaning against the wrong wall.”

Failure is your friend: One of the first steps to overcoming the fear of failure is seeing failure as your friend. See failures as lessons for growth and change. Understand that failures remind us of the consequences of our decisions. Failures remind us of what can happen, they can make us careful, but they should not be allowed to paralyze us. Next, recognize that our failures show us what we should and should not do; they become lessons in where we went wrong and why It can help us avoid the same mistake twice if we will learn from history.

When you fail: Acknowledge your failures and refuse to hide behind any excuses. Confess any sin to God when sin is involved. Study or examine what happened so you can learn from failure. Put it behind you and move ahead (1 John 1:9; Philippians. 3:13). Being assured of God’s forgiveness, we are to put our failures behind us, count on and rest in His forgiveness, and refuse to use them as an excuse, self-pity, depression, and fear of moving on for the Lord. We can grow through failure and we can know and act on certain truths; we are accepted in the Lord on the basis of grace, not our performance. We are human and, as a result, we are not now perfect nor will we ever be. God still has a plan for our lives. God is not through with us yet, and we need to get on with His plan.

Purpose in failure: Whether caused by sin or by the many things that can happen beyond our control, all failure teaches us the important truth of just how desperately we need God and His mercy and grace in our lives. God is adequate for all kinds of failure. Sometimes our failures are mirrors of reproof, but they can become tools for growth and deeper levels of trust and commitment to God if we will respond to them as such rather than rebel and become hardened through the difficulty. Regardless, God has made more than adequate provision for us in Christ and His finished work on the cross, which is the sole basis of our relationship and forgiveness with God and our means of a meaningful and productive life with Him. How are you learning and growing from your failures?