In order to succeed, you must master the art of failing.
Wisdom is learned from failure
If the latter part of 2019 and the first half of 2020 has taught me anything, it’s the sorrow of failing. Not too long ago, I failed in an intimate relationship of mine and shortly after, I failed in a venture I took in my professional life. I was nothing short of broken and depressed.
Fast forward to October of 2020, I am gradually revisiting my past and extracting every bit of wisdom I can find in order to not repeat the same tragedies again. In my reflections and introspections, I have received valuable revelation which I firmly believe is from the Lord. It is this: The wisdom needed to sustain success can only be found and extracted from failure.
It has been a very encouraging and comforting word from the Lord. Does it make me any less sorrowful about my failures? Not quite, but it most definitely reassures me of the bright future I have given if I carefully acknowledge and retain the wisdom God has given to me through these experiences.
But, who wants to fail?
Let’s face it, failure is ugly, heart breaking and scary. No one wants to fail. It is a primary fear that one will face at some time or another. However, we need to recognise that failure is a tool of preparation that God uses to groom us for greatness. It is His job to orchestrate each and every event in our lives and it is our job to excavate these events for all the wisdom we can find so that we can build a firm foundation which can sustain success and prosperity.
I have found several bible verses which indeed teach us and confirms that failure is a stepping stone for each person called of God to be used for His glory.
Here they are:
1. “For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity” (Proverbs chapter 24 verse 16).
2. “Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light” (Micah chapter 7 verse 8).
3. “This is what the LORD says: "'When people fall down, do they not get up? When someone turns away, do they not return?” (Jeremiah chapter 8 verse 4).
These are just three verses which are my favourite among many others which we can find in God’s word to encourage us when we find ourselves in the midst of failure.
The lesson of patience
One lesson I have learnt in the midst of my trials recently is that patience is the most powerful weapon in the bid to achieve success.
In the world we live in today, we are accustomed to microwaved success and material manifestations. I now am recognising how this mindset has contributed to many things I could classify as a failure or miscarried venture in my life.
I say this to now introduce the following questions you could use to extract some wisdom in your past failures and see if things would have been different if patience was employed:
“Did I properly investigate and do my research before I took on this venture/opportunity?”
“Was I too eager for money?”
“Was I properly trained for this opportunity?”
“Did I ignore red flags?”
“Did I seek wise counsel?”
“Did I take on more than I could manage in that season of my life?”
“Did I let my own fears sabotage this opportunity?”
“Did I let my own insecurities sabotage this opportunity?”
“What was the Holy Spirit saying?”
“Have I learned the traits to avoid in a person with whom I am seeking a business/intimate relationship with?”
And most importantly, since you may have failed, you need to ask yourself:
“What would I do differently, in order to succeed if God should duplicate this scenario later on in my life?”
Start again
I encourage you to spend much time pondering the last question, as our failures all are related to the purpose for which God has created us for. Failure creates capacity in us to handle bigger giants and succeed in those battles. So, it is very important to learn from our past failures as we will face the same test until we pass it.
In closing I would like to encourage you as I have been encouraging myself to still press on with boldness, confidence and authenticity in your new relationships and ventures.
Life has a way of creating bitterness in us as we face things and situations which break us. It is so very important to run to God with your wounds to receive healing. It is one thing to fail and become empty, but it is another to carry our past into every new opportunity we receive and see it sabotage our new blessings because we didn’t heal from our past.
Be assured that God loves you so much that He will weave both your failures and successes to create a beautiful masterpiece of your life. Be patient, be determined, be hopeful and be open to all that God can do. With God all things are possible.
Elizabeth is a student of Applied Behaviour Analysis and Special Education, a proud public speaker at Toastmasters International and budding entrepreneur. In my free time, she loves reading, cycling, crocheting and most recently, mastering cuisine in the kitchen. Her life’s ambition is to own an international non-profit ministry focusing on eliminating poverty in Africa and Asia as well as ministering mental and emotional healing.