Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. Proverbs 24:16
You’ve probably heard the expression, “Failure is not an option.” Well, apparently, it is because we all fail at some point or other. In fact, failure has become an epidemic in our culture: We fail to keep our marriage vows, keep our promises, show up, act according to others’ expectations, and be what we expect of ourselves.
Thankfully, failure does not disqualify us from service. On the contrary, God used many individuals who slipped up: David, Jonah, and Peter, to name just a few. The key here is that these individuals learned from their mistakes. They didn’t wallow in self-reproach but confessed their faults, corrected their behavior, and then moved on.
Perhaps you’ve allowed past failures to define you. Maybe you’re stuck in the land of ‘if only’s: If only I had. If only I hadn’t…. If only I could …. Never confuse your feelings of inadequacy with your identity. You are not the sum of every failure and mistake. You are not defined by what you can or can’t do or who you can or can’t be.
Truth is, we are all on the same level. We have all failed at some point or another. Yet though we fail, we try again. Though we fall, we rise again. Because He is the God of the do-overs. Every morning, He offers us a fresh start (see John 21). He loves us unconditionally, and nothing can ever change that.
Thought: Though I fall, I will not stay down. Each time I get back up I am not starting over, I am picking up where I left off, from a place of experience.