Why You’re Never, Ever Really a Failure Ann Voskamp The coffee shop is quiet except for the sound of voices at the table across from me and I can’t help but overhear. An older man says, “Most people think failure is here.” He taps one edge of the table. “And that success is here.” He taps the opposite edge. Then he places both of his hands in the center of the table. “But failure and success are really here. Side by side.“ The young man he’s talking to nods and the mentor continues, “Don’t try to avoid failure completely. Or you’ll never be successful.” His words ring in my ears and my heart as I take another sip of coffee. Every time I get ready to try something new I hear the question, “What if it doesn’t work?” And the answer is, of course, “I’ll look like a fool.” Over time I’ve come to believe this—that’s not a good enough reason not to do it. Sometimes looking like a fool comes with the territory of God-sized dreams. Noah built an ark. Moses wandered in the desert. Jesus hung on the cross. And those who watched shook their heads and muttered words like “failure” and “fool.” Little did they know. Is that you today? Have you stepped out in faith and wondered why you feel like a fool? Have you come across failure like a roadblock in your path? Keep going, friend. Instead of fleeing from the feeling of being foolish, lean into it. King David did this when the Ark of God entered Jerusalem. He danced in joy with lots of abandon and little clothing in front of the people. His wife scolded him for what she saw as inappropriate behavior for a person of his position. I love his response: “I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.” Where most of us would apologize and try to defend ourselves, David essentially says: “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” He realizes that defending his honor is not his job and that God gets the most glory when we humble ourselves. If you’re not willing to look goofy in the eyes of others at some point, you will never make it to your God-sized dream. And what seems like your most foolish moments may turn out to be your wisest. As Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” It turns out when you feel lowest, you may actually be higher than you can even know. From that unexpected place, you’ll be able to see what true success means. Feel it. Know it. Reach out and touch its nail-scarred hands. Don’t give up. Or give in. Or compromise. Or quit. You’re going to make it. And it’s going to make you… not into a fool, not into a failure, but into a victorious follower.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 17:35:02 +0000
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