04/19/2025
RENEWING YOUR MIND
24. How to Fail Successfully
I’ve been intrigued by the fact that Judas and Peter both denied Jesus, yet Judas hung himself, whereas Peter became the leader of the first-century Church team.
In fact, when Jesus rose from the dead, Mary Magdalene and her friends looked into Jesus’ empty tomb and encountered an Angel, who said, ”But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee…’” Mark 16:7
His betrayal of Jesus was so grievous to Peter and those closest to the situation they no longer thought of him as a disciple; thus, the angel added “and Peter” to his salutation.
Winston Churchill said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue, that counts.”
It does take courage to move forward after a setback or a failure, but the truth is that everyone fails at times. Even those who tend to be risk averse, still fail.
In fact, research shows we learn much more from our failures than we ever do from our successes.
Yet it’s important to remember that failing is an act, but failure is an identity. So we must never let our failures define us!
I believe there is an art to failing successfully. The main goal is not to make the same mistakes over and over, but to actually be learning, maturing, and growing from our blunders, gaffes, and even sins.
To fail successfully, we must therefore take an honest look at the issue(s) and be vulnerable by taking responsibility for the role we have played in the situation(s).
When we refuse be vulnerable and acknowledge our failure, nor take responsibility for it, we miss the opportunity to learn and grow.
Consequently, our defensive posture causes us to repeat the same mistakes perpetually, and ultimately to become a fool who continues in his or her folly and never changes.
This reminds me of the idiom “carve your successes in stone and write your failures in sand.” You might need to re-read that.
I think it’s important to look at our failures long enough to understand the root cause of our blunders, but not so long that it destroys our ability to take Kingdom risks.
Points to Ponder
I like this saying, “The only people who don’t have bugs on their windshield are those whose cars never leave the garage.”
Life is filled with choices and sometimes we make the wrong ones, but we are better than our worst day, and in Christ we are even better than our best day.
Furthermore, a fruitful experience is the outcome of a bad choice that we repented of and made right.
This fruitful experience gives us credibility and the opportunity to gain insights that others don’t have.
Solomon understood failing successfully when he wrote, “For a righteous person falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in a time of disaster.” Proverbs 24:16
You see success is not about how many times we get knocked down, but how many times we get back up! The goal is to get up one more time than we’ve been knocked down, and then refuse to quit.
In response to his critics while inventing the light bulb, Thomas Edison famously said, "I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work. Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
If we press in to learn from each of our failures and refuse to give up, we will break through failure’s folly and learn invaluable lessons that point us to our success.
But the greater consequence for those who fail but refuse to become failures is that their character is forged in the crucible, and their nobility is tempered in perseverance.
They don’t just learn lessons; their lives become living testimony of credibility and dignity. They rose from the ashes in a pure and beautiful way.
Biblically, a "crucible" metaphorically represents a difficult or challenging situation that tests and purifies, much like a crucible tests and purifies precious metals in a furnace.
If you’ve never failed, you have never really taken a risk. Oftentimes, in order to step into greater levels of Kingdom with Jesus, we must be willing to take risks and willing to make mistakes.
Risk is one of the main catalysts that activates living a life of freedom. Are you afraid to take risks?
What did you learn from this lesson that could make you more confident and comfortable stepping outside your comfort zone?
Today, I want to encourage you to take a risk and actively step outside your comfort zone.
In the process of taking more risks, take note of the outcome. If you fail, ask the Lord what you can learn from the failure, and then begin to view that failure as a success.
As you continue to take risks and share your process with the Lord and your close friends, then you will learn how to fail successfully!
