Did you wake up this morning and say to yourself, “I hope I fail today!"?
I don’t know anyone who sets out to fail at something in life —not consciously. I do know people who unconsciously set up themselves to fail.
And the main reason they do that is because they are afraid to succeed.
No one likes to fail. Most would rather be the kind of person who is all put together; who has purpose; and who would be used by God because he or she was special.
I have heard some people wistfully say they wish they could be like the people in the Bible. It seems they were hand-picked by God because they were somehow more special than others.
They were all put together. They succeeded at everything they set out to achieve.
The reality is, they were no different than you or I.
Moses stuttered.
David’s armor didn’t fit.
John Mark was rejected by Paul.
Hosea’s wife was a prostitute.
The only kind of training Amos received was in the area of fig tree pruning.
Jacob was a liar.
David had an affair.
Solomon was too rich.
Lazarus was dead.
John was self-righteous.
Jesus was too poor.
Paul was a murderer. So was Moses. So was David.
Jonah ran from God.
Miriam was a gossip.
Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.
Elijah was burned out.
John the Baptist was a loudmouth.
Martha was a worrywart.
Samson had long hair.
Noah got drunk.
Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse? So did Peter, and Paul — well, lots of folks did.
Sure, there are lots of reasons why it seems God wouldn’t want us to do anything for him. But if we love him, if we seek him with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength, he will use us in spite of our fears and uncertainties.
But bear in mind, this doesn’t mean we won’t fail our Lord now and again, because we will.
It is important to remember this: failure is not the end. It is often the beginning of a new life, because it is in our weakness that Jesus makes us strong — when we put our hope and trust in him.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview's pastor.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: BROADHEAD: Failure is often the beginning of a new life