When I think of failure, I think of a presence like the “Ghost of Christmas Past,” coming to haunt people at certain points in their life. It might be triggered by a birthday, the ending of a relationship, or in the midst of a life transition. It might be a small voice in the back of your head that says:
“You should have been further along.”
“You should have known better.”
“You’ve been left behind.”
“That was your last chance.”
“You blew it.”
Failure stings. It’s filled with guilt. It can be isolating. But perhaps failure isn’t what we think it is.
God’s definition of failure isn’t the same as ours. We want to see the tangible fruit of our hard work – wealth, praise, purpose, and fulfilling relationships. We want security, comfort, and ease in life. None of these things are wrong to pursue, but what happens when it all falls apart for no apparent reason? It’s disorienting.
When Joseph first had his dream, he was a teenager, yet he was in his thirties when he entered Pharaoh’s service (Genesis 37:2; Genesis 41:46). It was not only a wait spanning several years, but one wrought with betrayal, disappointment, being forgotten, and experiencing every earthly definition of failure (Genesis 39-40).
What about when Isaiah was called by the Lord to prophecy to the Israelites? We like to remember Isaiah stating “Here I am! Send me” (Isaiah 6:8). We often forget that he was called to prophecy to a people who would not hear (Isaiah 6:9-10). I remember one of my professors saying that God is not as worried about our earthly success as we are.
He is after our faithfulness more than our success.
For those who have put their hope in Jesus Christ success is not wealth and health, but Christ-likeness. At the end of our lives, it won’t matter how much money we earned, what kind of job we had, whether we were perceived by others to be successful, or whether we found the love of our lives. In the end, what we accomplished in this life won’t matter as much as where our hope was.
So how do we have hope in the midst of “failure”? How do we process the hard questions, struggles, and emotions involved in deep disappointment? When I am tempted with an overwhelming sense of failure, these precious, unfailing truths bring comfort to my soul:
1. God is sovereign over every detail of my life, even my failures.
“A man’s steps are from the Lord; how then can man understand his way?” –Proverbs 20:24
2. Because God is sovereign, my failures are not wasted and they didn’t destroy His plan for my life.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” –Romans 8:28
3. God will always use our failures to draw us nearer to Him in dependence.
“The works of his hands are faithful and just; and all of his precepts are trustworthy.” –Psalm 111:7
4. There is a promised happy ending. It’s a happy ending that is not a culmination of worldly success, but the consummation of Christ being forever united with His people.
“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy…” –Jude 1:24
If you are feeling the weight of failure, I want to encourage you. It’s ok to be disappointed and it’s ok to struggle. But remember, it’s not the end of the story. God’s work in your life is not limited by what you are able to perceive. We can let go of our own definitions of what it means to be “successful,” knowing that God will be faithful to accomplish what He has planned in and through us.
“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” –Romans 8:30
Hope in the Ashes 