The Discipline of Failure

What do David, the woman at the well, and Peter the Apostle have in common? They were all failures. David committed adultery and murder; the Samaritan woman failed at marriage five times; and Peter, well, just pick anything from empty boasting to denying Jesus to disbelieving the news of Christ's resurrection and you have an idea of his track record.

These people also had something else in common. The Lord managed to use them in mighty ways despite their failures. God called David a man after His own heart and the Samaritan woman was responsible for the conversion of her village. In the end, Peter was the first to preach to the Gentiles and was martyred for his faith and ministry.

There are many who fail. As a matter of fact failure is more common than success. That is why we celebrate it so. But those who fail yet continue to believe in the mercy of God and hope in His Son, Jesus-Christ, have the assurance that their failures are the discipline by which God prepares them for His service, and not the measure of their personal worth.

So cheer up those of you who see the broken line of many failures in life. Just remember what Paul says in I Corinthians 1:26-31 and realize that your failings put into God's hands by faith are the building blocks of future glory:

²⁶For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; ²⁷but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, ²⁸and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no man may boast before God. ³⁰But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, ³¹so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

- I Corinthians 1:26-31