FRUIT FROM FAILURE

Someone called Peter “the apostle of failure”. That seems a bit harsh, but the fact remains that that Peter was prone to fail. Aren’t we all? That’s why we ought to remember Proverbs 24:16 “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”   Everyone fails from time to time and that’s bad, but that’s not all. Believe it or not, good can come from it. That’s right! Although it would be better if we never failed we need to realize that something positive can come out of it. We need to look for it. Generally we see only the bad in failure, but the truth is that God can use our failure for some good purpose. Let me give you just one example.   Failure can make us aware of our weakness, and that can lead to a greater dependence upon God. Let’s face it–we all tend to get a bit cocky at times. We suppose we are better, smarter, or stronger than we really are. Failure brings our feet back down to the ground! You don’t hear much boasting from a kid who just got the stuffings knocked out of him by a neighorhood bully, and failure often transforms our attitude in the same way. So the next time you fail, learn from it, and look for some good to come out of it. Sometimes it takes a failure to make us aware of our weakness and to rid us of pride. Failure doesn’t have to be final. It can be the very thing that leads to success. But you got to get up and get going. Confess your failure, do what you can to make it right, and look for the good that comes from it.