PSALM 24:16
THE RIGHTEOUS FALLS SEVEN TIMES AND RISES AGAIN.
The word "righteous" really doesn't come to mind when thinking of adjectives to describe myself. Words like stubborn and goofy are a better fit. Yet the hardest falls of my life have all been followed by an amazingly strife-less rise. My good share of stumbles, fumbles, and outright humiliations in life somehow are ALWAYS redeemed in very strategic ways. Like a phoenix. When it looks like I am dead in the ashes of failure, my wings somehow rise, a wind lifts, and then I see a purposed destination where I had not intended to go... but it's good. Very good.
I did not make ANY resolutions for the new year because I realized that when it comes to bettering myself or making strides to fulfill a purpose, I don't know jack. Instead, I have decided to buckle my seatbelt and look straight ahead as this wind thrusts me forward and then listen very carefully to the pilot in charge of this ride.
When you trust the Lord, your failures make you stronger. Wiser. More resilient. How much wiser can a girl get? Ha.
Did you know that most successful entrepreneurs and pioneers are failures before their success came? (Abraham Lincoln being the most famous among them.) Do you know why? Because they weren't afraid to try things? Many folks never step out of their comfort zones. However, I can get a little too comfortable stepping out of my comfort zone in some things. That seatbelt I was strapping on for this year I mentioned earlier, it's a new thing for me. But I have learned that THAT seatbelt holding me in , is not holding me back. It's crucial for positioning and landing exactly where I need to without harm.
I have talked to MANY people with stories of supposed failure this year. Many of these folks aren't irresponsible, stupid, or rebels. On the contrary. They are hard working folks who just found out they didn't have the control they once thought, or that government wasn't the answer, or that "letting go and letting God" actually works. They are businessmen who realized family was the most important thing in life. They are students who realized doing your best doesn't mean perfection but trying with a good attitude. They are moms who realized playing with your kid in the mud is better time spent than keeping them out of it. They are ministers who realized ministry was more in the everyday living... that church programs would never make as big of an impact on this world than if every Christian would just make Jesus' command "to love" a LIFESTYLE, not event. (Ok, that one was my personal revelation.)
At times failures are wake-up calls. Thank God for them. We are realizing what is important in this life. We are realizing we don't have all the answers. We are realizing that a lot more dependency on the One who has complete control of everything is crucial. Whether you are an individual, business, or nation we need guidance when all else fails. We have looked for a perfect plan from imperfect people and a wake-up call is being sounded. We now need the Perfect One to pilot us out of this mess, these failures, and this apathy that has produced stress in our individual lives and more orphans, homeless, and debt among our societies.
But there is Hope. There is ALWAYS Hope awaiting us. This hope is a Living Hope who has the power to make those who have fallen rise again. Thank you Jesus that your love never fails, even when we do.
I'll leave you with some lyrics to a personal song favorite:
Phoenix Burn
by Alfa Red
I need love that will release me
Keep me honest, keep me happy
I need a peace with understanding
Trying to find a softer landing
I wanna know when I can change this
Or give it up and just embrace it
I need to find a way of letting it go
When everything falls apart
I've taken too much, given up
I am twisted, burning, breaking up
I need to find a way of letting it go
When everything falls apart
-------
Kim Winston Bigler
FREEtheINSIDE
(This entry is dedicated to those who have shared their stories of failure with me. You can resurrect because He did.)
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