The question is not whether or not we fail, but how do we recover? Are we able to harbor the losses and grow stronger because of them, or do we break under the weight of defeat? Can we learn from our mistakes and renew our efforts to succeed?
St. Paul is famous for struggling with some sort of flaw that he called a “thorn in his flesh.” Whatever it was, Paul felt that the “thorn” made him appear foolish in public and hampered his ability to do God’s work effectively. He took his concerns to God, begging at least three times that his painful situation be remedied. He records God making this response: “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’” (2 Cor. 12:9a).
We may wish that the pain of failure, humiliation, and rejection would go away, but we need to know that it may not. This is not because God does not care or does not hear us when we plead for mercy. It means, simply, that God is not dissuaded from partnering with us, no matter how inadequate or overwhelmed we may feel.
This message is excerpted from “Tears, thorns and the power of failure” by Susan Schneider in the September 2022 Café online magazine.
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