Journey into Lightl

Many of us will not try to do certain projects or responsibilities for fear that we will fail. So, we tend to only do a project or take on a responsibility that we are pretty sure that we will succeed in doing. Many of these activities are ones that we are familiar with and know we can do reasonably well.

As a result, we often become limited in our willingness to learn new skills and new ways of doing things. We become like old and foolish kings who no longer know how to receive instruction (Eccl. 4:13). So, why are we so afraid to fail?

The sad truth is that many of have drunk the cool aid that tells us that our failure decreases us as a person. We often feel inadequate, unimportant and a loser in general when we fail in some specific effort. So, we stick with the familiar to avoid failure.

However, as Christians, we learn that our failure does not decrease how important we are to God. So what if people think we are a loser? God does not (1 Peter 2:9). His opinion is the only one that counts.

Sure failure hurts. It always does and always will. Failure to meet our expectations and the expectations of others will often have painful consequences.

Yet, those consequences do not need to include the belief that we are losers and not important. We are important! This will never change no matter how often we fail as far as God is concerned (Luke 12:7).

I have been testing living in this reality more in the last few years. This is the reality that I do not need to really fear failure. I do not need to shy away from attempting to pursue over-my-head goals for fear of failure. If God seems to be leading, that is enough reason to pursue them. God will not think less of me for trying and failing.

As a result, I have been willing to risk starting a writing ministry in the last couple of years despite having little experience or education for it. Many times I have felt like a loser doing this ministry. Many times I felt like I must be crazy for trying and feeling so bad at the results. Many times I have had to recall that I am not decreased as a person to God by my failures.

For some of us, we have taken decades to get the way we are. We have been drinking the cool aid for a long time that failure is something big to fear, something that can be devastating. So, we need to be patient with ourselves.

It will take time before we will become intelligent and bold risk-takers. It will take time for our deep beliefs and feelings to change. In the meantime, we still need to act on the truth that failure does not hurt us with God, even when it feels like it does.