Success and Failure
As I read Bill Perkin’s book, Six Battles Men Must Win, I wasn’t sure whether I should embrace such a perspective or reject it outright. My challenge came in an illustration of a particular golf game he described in the book. While he and his friend were playing golf one day, Perkins noticed that his friend would put great power behind each drive, but each of these drives was also accompanied by a persistent slice. Each time the golf ball was sent careening into the rough, Perkin’s friend would, with a growl, take the driver and slam it against the ground.
Perkin’s writes, “After one especially bothersome slice, I offered him a golfing tip: ‘Rod, I think you’d enjoy the game more if you embrace the fact that bad drives are as much a part of your game as good ones. The way I see it, you believe that those loooong straight drives are the norm…it just seems to me the bad shots are as much a part of your game as the good ones. I know I’m a hacker. I accept that. So when I occasionally happen to hit the ball in the fairway, it’s both a surprise and a celebration.’” (p. 44)
Again, in my mind I wasn’t sure whether I should embrace such a perspective or reject it outright – it seemed to go against the grain of lessons I had been taught: lessons about striving to always win and always pushing myself toward personal excellence. But inside, I knew that the message of this illustration actually gave me a feeling of relief and hope!
There is nothing wrong with being competitive and trying to win. There is nothing wrong with trying to be the best you can possibly be in any area of life. Our attitude toward excellence is not the problem. The problem is our attitude toward failure.
Failure is a part of life. Failures are milestones pointing us toward the goals we seek. Failures are reminders that we are not yet perfect and that we will never, in our own strength, be perfect. But failures should never lead us to think that failure is the final judgment of who you are or who God has called you to be. Life is not over until it is over. God is there and He loves you – even with your imperfections. God is there and He is actively moving in your life – seeking to transform you into the person He desires you to be. God is there and He wants to be your Lord, your Redeemer and your ever-present Friend.
You are not a failure! I say this especially to the men. You have made mistakes. You have fallen short of expectations, we all have. You have not been the father, the husband, the son, the spiritual leader you know you should have been. But mistakes and sins do not equal failure. A person may say, “I have never succeeded in anything and my life is worthless.” Those are words born of pride and self-pity. Do not accept that label. You are not a failure! You are a child of God and He is not yet finished with you
If anyone deserved to feel self-pity it was Joseph. He was thrown into a pit by his brothers, handed over to slave traders, sold into Egypt, accused unjustly by Potiphar’s wife, and thrown into jail for years. But, incredibly, there is no hint of a pity party. Joseph was miraculously released from prison and became second-in-command over all of Egypt.
Consider his words to his brothers in Genesis 50: “But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.’” (Genesis 50.19-20 NASB)
Nothing happens in this life that is not first sifted through the fingers of God’s hand. No matter the evil intent of the doer; no matter the degree of pain and suffering; no matter how much was lost, Father God will use it for His own purposes. And His purpose is to glorify Himself; to bring us to Himself through Jesus Christ so that we may know and love Him; to enable us to love others as God the Father loves us; and, thus, to shower blessings on you and me, His children.
You cannot fail in this life unless you fail to know God through Jesus Christ.
Continual victory
Continual victory, the life of joy in the Christian life has much to do with your perspective: your viewpoint of God and life. Any contention that we may live this life without pain, trouble or trial is, of course, unrealistic and unbiblical.
Jesus said, “In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” (John 16.33b Amplified)
As Christians, we can know victory, joy and peace even in the midst of what the world would label defeat, sorrow and chaos.
Pain, trouble and tribulation are givens. Our response is a choice. And our perspective determines our choice.
Consider David, pondering the vastness of the universe, when he wrote: “O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8.1,3-4)
That is perspective by choice, David’s choice, to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to David’s heart and to see God, His hand, and His work.
“Two men looked out from prison bars. One saw mud, one saw stars.”
What is your view of life, of God? Are you looking down, despairing of the mud or are you looking up, glorying in the stars?
Visit a planetarium, and you will notice the seats are designed for a semi-prone position. Once the show begins, the reason for the seating design is obvious. To take full advantage of the show, to become a part of the starry vastness displayed on the screen, you must become oriented to the screen, i.e. you must look up!
Consider your relative position to God: His greatness and our lowliness; His vastness and our puniness; His completeness and our total need for Him.
Perspective determines choice. We follow our eyes. Our feet, our attitudes, our life go in the direction of our eyes. The direction our feet travel is the real direction we have chosen. Upon what or whom have you fixed your gaze?
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with loving-kindness and compassion,
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. (Psalm 103.1-5 NASB)
Do you feel trapped in habitual sin? Look to the Father and know release. Are you weighed down by the worries of life? Look to the Father and your heart will be lifted by the effortless, unlimited power of God.
Time is of the essence
The New Year fast approaches. New Year’s Day reminds of a year that has past and a new one has begun. We can do nothing about time’s incessant march toward eternity future and away from eternity past but we can change our attitude toward time. Time is a precious, investable commodity given to us as a gift from God.
Though time is a constant, life changes seem to be speeding up. I often see the term “acceleration” used. Changes in world events and in the spiritual lives of people, seem to be occurring at a more rapid pace than ever before. 2008 could very well be a year in which even more rapid changes take place in the spiritual lives of people as the Holy Spirit moves, drawing us all closer to Jesus Christ.
Time is of the essence! We serve an ever-loving, ever-moving, all-powerful God who has given us this moment in all of eternity to invest for Him. Think of it! Father God has given each of us a very, very brief portion of time and He then asks: “What are you going to do with it? Are you going to invest it in selfish pursuits or are you going to invest it in Me – in loving and serving Me?”
The choice is simple, the choosing is difficult. We must become more committed to our Lord instead of getting wrapped up in the world’s pitiful offerings. We no longer have the luxury of postponing, and foot-dragging when it comes to bringing ourselves and our families and our church to the foot of the Cross to say, “Here I am, Lord.” Time passes, the world changes and, too often, we wait for the status quo to produce better results – but it never happens. It never will.
Two enemies impede our spiritual progress, even stopping us in our tracks: fear and doubt. Fear and doubt, conceive and give birth to indifference and indifference is expressed in our daily lives as busyness.
In our personal lives we have embraced Martha as our role-model. You may remember Martha flitting about the house, trying to do the good things for Jesus but missing the Person of Jesus in the process. (Luke 10.38-42) Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10.41-42)
Good-intentioned Martha was busy but she allowed herself to be led away from Jesus instead of toward Him. She accomplished nothing.
So much of our busyness is simply fluff. Fluff is a time-filler and a time-waster offered in generous portions by the world, the flesh and the devil. Fluff makes us look productive and purposeful, but it contains no substance. Fluff will lead us to spend inordinate time and energy on the good things in life, but cause us to miss the best. Fluff will help us appear good in the eyes of people; it will help us appear good to ourselves, but it can cause us to miss Jesus.
Jesus’ parable of the Great Banquet is also a striking illustration of how we humans lose sight of priorities. In the parable a man prepared a great banquet, inviting many guests. When the servants were sent out to gather the guests, they made excuses: “The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’” (Luke 14.18a-20)
They were consumed by important things – things that were important to a sick and dying world. But they missed the best: the invitation by the King.
Nothing is more important than your invitation to dine with the King of Kings!
“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” Philippians 1.27
May God’s blessings be ours this new year as we strive to be of one spirit, one mind and one heart and to serve the Lord together.
