I just read that online, and I already don’t like it.

First of all, I don’t like failure. Who does? And to say that failure is a pathway to learning doesn’t lessen the sting. The world applauds success. Not so much…failure.

Pastor Charles Stanley would likely agree with us on that. However, he has a broader perspective.

“We would probably all prefer to grow in our faith without ever making a mistake before God’s eyes, but we cannot deny that missteps are instructive. Failure teaches believers that it is much wiser and more profitable to be obedient to the Lord. That’s a lesson we all should take to heart.”

Let’s look at a couple of phrases there.

  1. Missteps are instructive. That’s true if we are intentional about learning from them. While we don’t want to dwell on the mistakes of the past, we are wise to see how we can avoid them in the future. And not just avoid them but serve at a higher level because of those mistakes.
  2. It’s much wiser to be obedient to the Lord. Jesus’ disciple Peter was a man of great faith and bold action. But sometimes that boldness led to missteps and failures. Denying Jesus in that courtyard was a prime example of failure. Yet the Lord was able to teach Peter through that failure to be an effective leader in spreading the Gospel.

Leadership expert John Maxwell weighs in on failure as a leader.

“In leadership, it’s not a question of if you fail, it’s a question of when—and how you respond.”

Maxwell says when you are a leader, failure is your friend. However, you need to take steps to ensure you can learn from failure.

  1. Get comfortable with failure. It’s going to happen. Don’t be surprised.
  2. Get clear about failure. Failure is an essential part of the cycle of success: test, fail, learn, improve, re-enter. Failure is the second step to success!
  3. Get prepared for failure. Make preparations to glean the lessons from your experience—set aside time to reflect, bring materials to help you collect your thoughts, and bring some people alongside you to help you with your thinking.

The Bible is clear about failure. It isn’t fatal or final.

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.

Proverbs 24:16 NLT

The Psalmist addressed failure in a very personal way:

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.

Psalm 73:26 NLT

So, is failure in your future? Yes, very likely. Can you learn from it? That is up to you.

God’s best,