Let’s talk about life. We as a generation love the idea of success, we want to ‘be something’ so bad. We want to be better or do more than our parents, or be more than the generation before us. We are dreamers, we have so many visions and dreams that we want to accomplish or that we want to come to past. However, because we are so passionate, and because we want success so bad we are afraid of failure. We are afraid to take the real steps to get to where we want to be because, “What if it doesn’t work?” “What if we fall flat on our face?” What if this, and what if that.
Proverbs 24:16
For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
When we think about failing at something we often think that it is the end of the world, that it was our last chance. That is not so, the scripture tells us that a righteous person falls seven times, seven times, but they get back up again. We can fall seven times but we must make sure that we get up eight. As cliche as it sounds, it’s not about falling but it’s about getting back up again some falls are easier to get up from than others. I understand that, but we have to get back up, even if it takes a little longer, we have to get up. I wonder how many times Jesus was knocked down as He was carrying that cross to calvary. How many people walked up to Him and spit in His face, hit him and knocked him and the cross down. If He had stayed down, where would we be? If He decided that it was too much to handle, who would we be?
Galatians 1:10, Does this sound as if I am trying to win human approval? No indeed! What I want is God's approval! Am I trying to be popular with people? If I were still trying to do so, I would not be a servant of Christ.
The mistake we make is trying to prove our success to others, or prove ourselves to other people, who are most likely facing the same struggles we are. Sometimes we are so caught up in what people think of us and how we will be letting them down that we don’t even try. When we are living for Christ, we don’t have to worry about impressing Him, He knows who we are. He knows where we are going, He sculpted the path that we are traveling on.
Just because we fail does not mean we are failures. This is something that we must constantly remind ourselves of. I have found that this generation is particularly hard on themselves. We are perfectionist and sometimes that is our greatest asset as well as our biggest flaw. We have to appreciate the parts of our lives that are far less than perfect. It gives us a chance to allow the perfection of Christ make up for what we are not and could never be. He completes us. Failure isn’t always bad, we learn from these things, we find light in the dark places, because we have to. We grow in the valleys, so when we get to the mountain tops we understand what it took for us to be here. Failure is a part of life, it is also a part of success. Some of the greatest people in the bible and the most successful people today fell before they got to where they were then or are now. David and Moses are two of them, Moses killed a man and fled. David, killed a man because he wanted His wife. Peter denied Jesus three times. Paul persecuted Christians. But we do not remember these men for what they did that was less than perfect, but how it led them to Christ. We know them for the great men of God they were.
We have to atleast try, we cannot live afraid to fall. With all of this being said, we have to give ourselves a chance. God has given us this life and we are not to live in fear.
2 Timothy 1:7, For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
We serve an unfailing God, and He did not give us a spirit of fear so we will not walk in fear. If we fail it will not be because we were too afraid to try. If we fail at least we know that we gave it a chance. Sometimes life can leave you shook, and scared, but it is in those moments where we put our trust in God and jump. Things won’t always go the way we plan or the way we think they should go, but God uses every moment, every fall, to His glory.
“It is better to make a thousand failures than to be too cowardly to ever undertake anything.” -Clovis G. Chappell
“Just jump afraid. Dare to do it, and maybe you land, maybe it’ll be perfect. “ - Viola Davis
We never know what can happen if we don’t take a chance. Jesus is calling us out on the water, we have to step and have faith that we won’t fall, and even if we do, He is right there to pick us up.
Reflection
- Are you afraid of failure?
- Are you a perfectionist?
- What is the main thing stopping you from stepping out on faith and taking a chance.
- Is it fear?
Prayer Time
Allow your answers to the above questions guide your prayer today. Pray through every answer, whatever it is on your heart today bring it to God.
I love you, take a chance and have faith in God. Share this with someone. Have an amazing day or evening, and make sure you come back tomorrow for day 114!
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