I have discovered something important from so-called failures – they can actually be the making of us and why I choose to call them “Failing Up”.
The seasons where I have been most confused or have hurt the most are also the occasions where God has caused me to step up into another place, opportunity and deeper connection with Him.
I’ve learnt in those seasons where it looks like I’ve experienced a setback or failure to keep moving forward and to be really honest, open and vulnerable to God. In my so called failures I’ve been faced with a choice to either give up in defeat or to choose to lean not simply on my strength and wisdom, but on God’s. It’s how we ‘fail up” – we may have failed in our strength and ability, but in doing so we get the chance to step up into a new realm of possibilities with Jesus where His grace is sufficient for us, for His power is made perfect in weakness.” For when we are weak, then we are made strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Today I want to encourage all those who feel they are or have failed. For those who have studied and then realised they don’t want to do the job they’ve trained for. For those who’ve stepped out and did something and it didn’t work out as planned. For those who put it all on the line and believed for great things and then achieved little, and for those who have a dream and it hasn’t come to pass yet – my advice would be, “Don’t give up, Fail Up”.
For sometimes our so called failures are in fact God rescuing us from ourselves and our choices. Or perhaps even though things might not have worked out as we initially planned, we now know how to do new things. We’ve overcome a fear or inadequacy and increased our skills, which is never a bad thing, and in God’s hands won’t be wasted.
Other times we quite simply have to make a choice; do we allow our so called failures to limit us and be the stick we use to beat ourselves up over, or do we take our disappointments to God and trust Him to make something good out of them, just as He has promised, so we can dust ourselves off and get back out there again.
“And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
Today I recommend the latter and for you to take what you have learnt, achieved, believed for, studied and worked at to Jesus and ask Him to show you what to do next. Go up not down. Look heavenward rather than back and determine to focus upon the next stage in your journey, being newly equipped with what you have learnt from your experiences as you lean into Jesus and Fail Up!
Prayer: Lord thank you that the things that we think could break us in actual fact in your loving hands can be the making of us. Help me to trust you today to take my life and to do something amazing with it. I choose to “fail up” into you today. In Jesus Name Amen.
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