When Failing Leads to Hope

Have you ever failed at something? Did you kicked yourself for days or weeks because you didn't do what you wanted to do? Didn't accomplish what you knew would be a good thing? Or, have you ever thought to say just the right words only to have the words die on the tip of your tongue, and then you spend the next week regretting never having said the words?

It's a terrible feeling. And, I hope not many of you have experienced it. But, truth be told many of us have. At some point everyone stumbles when it comes to our words and speaking them in a profitable manner.

So what do we do when failure happens?

The Bible is a good place to find out how we should act and think. At the same time, in its own way, it tells us how we screw up. But it's definitely not a condemning book. When you read James 3:2 you see that everyone, and I mean every one, messes up. Look at the author. He grew up with Jesus but didn't really believe in Him until after Jesus rose from the dead. (John 7:5; 1Corinthians 15:7; Acts 1:4)

Knowing man sins and makes mistakes frequently is common knowledge. There's no surprise there. Churchgoers and Christian believers are expected to be closer to perfect than non-churchgoers. That's an unwritten presumption. Which makes it more difficult when we fail because we not only let ourselves down, but others around us.

There's a saying I've only heard in Texas - "He needs to pick himself up by the bootstraps and get going." Meaning, no matter what comes your way, whether it's financial mishaps, illness, or missing an opportunity to do the right thing, just get moving. Don't let anything set you back.

There's actually a verse in the scriptures that says basically the same thing - Proverbs 24:16. I'd read it many times but until my pastor, Danny Rivers, pointed it out this past Sunday I hadn't given it much thought. The verse sums up everything I've said today. One, even a good Christian is going to fail more than one time. Two, we need to get back up and try again. Learn from what we did wrong and try, try again. Remember, there's always hope for change in the days ahead of us.