Originally published Friday, 18 December 2015.
So since we stand surrounded by all those who have gone before, an enormous cloud of witnesses, let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace, and let us run with endurance the long race set before us. Hebrews 12:1 (VOICE)
Last week Thursday I failed to write a devotional for this blog.
It completely slipped my mind.
It’s the first time since I started this blog that I have forgotten to write a post.
For a moment I felt like a failure.
In the grand scheme of life forgetting to right one blog isn’t a huge failure.
I’ve failed much worse before.
I have failed University exams.
I’ve failed friends who were relying on me.
I have failed to always speak the truth.
I have failed to deliver at work.
I know that there are people reading this who feel their failures are much bigger or harder to come back from.
I know because our language has phrases like: “failed marriage”, “failed conception” and “failed state.”
However, on Thursday night as I held my phone in my hand, and gasped slightly, because I forgot to write a post, I remembered one simple truth about failure: everyone fails.
Failure is part of being human.
When I read through the Bible I even see that many of the heroes of faith failed at one time or another. The important thing is that they didn’t let failure define them or stop them.
There is a bible verse in Hebrews 12:1 that I find encouraging on the days when I feel like a failure: So since we stand surrounded by all those who have gone before, an enormous cloud of witnesses, let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace, and let us run with endurance the long race set before us.
In essence when you feel like a failure:
Don’t dwell on your mistake.
Ignore the jeering.
Listen for the cheering.
Shake failure off. (Say sorry if you need to).
Focus on the finish line.
Do the next thing.
I don’t know about you but when I fail, at one thing, I often feel like I’ve failed at life. (tweet this)
This verse reminds me that life is more than one or two (or even 103) failures.
It’s not easy but the race isn’t a short one and we’re the not the first to run this route.
I love that Hebrews 12:1 reminds me that others have gone before me and stumbled, and picked themselves up.
Lining the sides of the roads are people who have failed in dramatic ways. A few glimpses at the people in the bible remind of this.
Paul: persecuted Christians.
David: committed adultery and had another man killed.
Rahab: a prostitute.
Just read the bible you’ll find a host of people who failed. These are the people cheering you on, “You can do this!”
After I failed to write a devotional on Thursday there was a part of me that thought, “Well, that’s it, I don’t need to post again.”
There was a part of me that whispered, “You can stay here in your failure. No one even noticed you didn’t post. No one will notice if you let this blog fizzle out.”
For a moment I wanted to listen but then I shook it off, listened out for the voices of the one’s who have gone before, the one’s who said, “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing” (1 Thes 5:11). And I shook failure off and wrote this post.
You can do it too.
You can overcome the failures in your life.
There is a whole host of us who have failed and picked ourselves up telling you to keep running, you’re almost there.
Ponder: In what area of your life do you feel like a failure? Which of these steps do you need to take to move forward:
Don’t dwell on your mistake.
Ignore the jeering.
Listen for the cheering.
Shake failure off. (Say sorry if you need to).
Focus on the finish line.
Do the next thing.
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for being my biggest cheerleader. I ask you to help me drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to me and slackens my pace. Help me to run with endurance the long race set before me. And when I feel like giving up open my ears to hear the voices of the heavenly hosts encouraging me. Amen.
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- This was orginally published on my site in August 2015. To read more devotionals like this go to ilovedevotionals.com
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