“You tried your best, and you failed. The lesson is, never try.” – Homer Simpson
“for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” – Proverbs 24:16 NIV
There is no learning or growth apart from failure. Every competitive athlete intrinsically knows this. It takes time – endless hours even – to become a champion. For athletes, entrepreneurs, musicians and the like, failure is not an option…it’s a requirement. Children are notorious for giving up too soon. They need to be shepherded and trained to keep trying even when they don’t first succeed. It’s such a basic lesson, yet how often do we fail to apply it to life in God’s Kingdom?
When it comes to engaging our culture with the gospel, or reaching out to a particular friend, or advancing the cause of Christ in any way, our temptation is to give up too soon. Listen. If you’re not failing at least once a month in some kind of Kingdom endeavor, you may not be trying enough! Try holding a simple “Faith talk” with some non-believing co-workers at a local pub, or invite your kids soccer team parents over for dinner. Reach out and see what happens. It may be that you fail, but the Lord will have a lesson for you along the way. And most importantly, you will eventually succeed in big ways!