«But the house of Israel—they will refuse to listen to you because they refuse to listen to me. The whole house of Israel is hardheaded and hard-hearted too» (Ezekiel 3:7, CEB).
Our culture is allergic to failure. We believe we are defined by success, we avoid failure at all costs. However, we find a different narrative in the Bible. God’s Word is full of stories of failure and disappointment. Let us consider the prophet Ezekiel, for instance: when God called him, He forewarned him that his mission would not be «successful;» the people would not want to listen to him. Like many other prophets, Ezekiel reaped disgrace instead of fame and gratitude.
Many of us find it hard to understand that God would call us to «failure;» however, Bob Goff, author of Love Does, says it is one of the things he most likes about God. «God intentionally guides people into failure. He made us be born as little kids who can’t walk or talk or even use a bathroom correctly. We have to be taught everything. All that learning takes time, and He made us so we are dependent on Him, our parents, and each other. The whole thing is designed so we try again and again until we finally get it right. And the whole time He is endlessly patient.»
Failure is a crucial and unavoidable part of the learning process. God is not watching us from above with the idea that everything we do should turn out perfectly fine, as if expecting our report card to be one A after another. God is down here, with us, helping us shake the dust off, reminding us that His love and our identity do not change when things go wrong.
Sometimes God uses failure as an infrared light, to reveal what we would otherwise be unable to see. With painful clarity, failure shows us how much we still care about what others will say, and how much we cling to our own dreams. Therefore, it is precisely when we fail that God deepens our dependence on Him. By seeing it that way, failure can be a smashing success. In Bob Goff’s words: «l used to be afraid of failing at something that really mattered to me, but now I’m more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter.»
Dear Lord, I want my character to reflect You more.
I am willing to fail if that will draw me closer to You.
I want to care more about eternal success than this world’s fleeting glory.
#WomensDevotional
#RadioJovenAdventista
#MeditacionesDiarias
Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Perez & Angelica Cuate
