Failure

Have you ever felt like a total failure?


I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume you answered “yes.” If not, well…please share your secrets!


But the fact is I can assume you have felt like a failure because you’re a human. This is probably not news to you, but failure seems to be an inevitable part of life.


Why do we fail? For any number of reasons, really. We get too caught up in the details that we miss the big picture. We forget things. We’re painfully stubborn, independent, and refuse to ask for help.

In short, we’re sinful people living in a fallen world. Whether we place blame on our circumstances, our environment, upbringing, another person, or ourselves, the fact of the matter is that failure is to be expected at one time or another or a million times.


Well, that’s enough encouragement for today.


Kidding.


So what do we do with this?


The Bible speaks in absolutes when it comes to messing up. There’s no “you might make a mistake one time, sayeth the Lord.” The Word of God makes it rather clear that perfection is not something to be attained. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s a very gracious and relieving start to looking at our failures. God is not shaking His head while watching me fail for the thousandth time today, thinking “oh man, I thought today would finally be the day she got it all right! Let’s try again tomorrow…”


Nope. He knows me intimately. He created me, after all. He knows the weakest parts of my flesh and where I’m most likely to mess up. He shows mercy and grace even more in those weak spots.

Psalm 37:24 says, “though he [a man] fall, he should not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”


If I’m honest, this verse makes me laugh a little on the inside because I relate to it on such a deep and personal level. I fall a lot, guys. Maybe not full-on faceplant, but I trip over toys/the dog/my feet/thin air all the time. You know that feeling you get when you trip? Momentum starts building and gravity takes over and you hit the “well this is inevitably happening” stage and you brace for impact. To me, this is “casting headlong.” I may be off on my translation here but as a chronic sufferer of “bull in a china shop” syndrome, that’s where my mind goes.


Imagine when you hit the “I’m going down, folks” stage of failing and the problems start snowballing and you gain momentum and the failing pushes on your shoulders like one of those Acme anvils from nowhere but instead of sudden impact with the ground, you’re met with a strong hand to steady you. When it seems like there’s no choice but to let gravity and your sin and your circumstances take you down, out of nowhere comes a steady arm, a calming voice coming over you, saying, “whoa, easy there,” picking you up from your headlong descent.


That is the power of Christ in our lives, friends. Note that He never promises that we won’t fall. The assurance of God is that He’ll scoop us up with His unfailing hands. We may feel like we’ve hit rock bottom, but I think that if we truly have Jesus in our lives, rock bottom is not a place where we can live.


To me, rock bottom alludes to a place that cannot be escaped.


Can our troubles overwhelm us?


Absolutely.


Do we feel sometimes that things couldn’t possibly be any worse? And then somehow, they actually do find a way to get worse?


Definitely. We’ve all been there before.


Do we find ourselves wondering sometimes if God has forgotten about us?


I think it’s hard to admit, but yes.


So how is this not rock bottom?


Because I believe God when He says He won’t leave me or forsake me. (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20)


I believe that there is freedom from condemnation and sin and death in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1-2)


I believe that God works all things together for the good of those living in Him. (Romans 8:28)


I believe that if God is for me, nothing can be against me and nothing can separate me from His love,
not even what I would consider “rock bottom.” (Romans 8:31, 37-39)


Is failure a part of life? It absolutely is and it threatens to take us down more often than we care to admit.


We can’t let rock bottom become our new residence though because God promises that we can’t stay there forever. He won’t let us remain there. There is always another side. It might not be clear to us today or next month or even five years from now, but God is working in your life, orchestrating the failures and victories and disappointments together for His glory.


Are you struggling to see why God seems to be keeping you in a holding pattern right now with certain struggles? I have been there, too. I encourage you to change your perspective and your prayers. Instead of losing heart, ask God what He want you to do with this struggle. Pray that God would show you what He’s going to do with this. Ask for strength to take the next small step of faith in the storm.


Life can be so hard, and failure can be so heavy. Open your eyes to the hand that upholds you, to the promise that the One who created you will never leave you. Soak in the promise that this will be used for His good and His glory. Hold tight to His hand. He loves you because of you who are – because you’re His – not because you managed to achieve a façade of perfection today.