These simple words carry a lot of weight, weight that is hard to describe and yet extremely real. Failure is something few like to talk about and even fewer like to admit. I find it odd, though, because it’s all around us on a daily basis. For example, I set my alarm this morning for 5:00am but hit the snooze button multiple times. Now that seems really knit picky and harsh but it’s a small example of failure.
In life, failure is not just failing a big test or committing a horrific sin; it’s the little failures too. It’s the daily sins we commit, the daily shortcomings, and the daily downfalls we as humans endure. I often think of King David when considering failures. I think about how God guided him and blessed him beyond measure, but he still failed, big time. David failed so much in the story of Bathsheba that the story ends with “The Lord was displeased with him.” To have the Creator and Sustainer of the universe say something like that in regard to your actions has got to be an all-time failure!
So, why talk about our failures and shortcomings? Well, the reality is we fail daily, and, as believers, we should be acknowledging our failures rather than hiding them. I love what Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper. But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion.” This should be our mindset and our position on failure. We acknowledge that it’s going to happen on a daily basis, but we also acknowledge Ephesians 2:4-5: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.” In all, failure is real and it hurts. It can sometimes feel like our failures just keep piling up, but remember who God is and that He is a faithful and merciful father!
~~ Collin Sherrill