DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL!

Henry Ford is reported to have said that "obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." That reminds me of what Peter the Apostle may have experienced when he momentarily took his eyes off his goal and focused them on what was happening around him - the sight of angry waves. When he did this I can only imagine the fear that must have gripped him (Matthew 14:22-33)! But today's lesson is not on Peter's failure but rather on what he did accomplish- he walked on water! What a legacy! Just think what he would have missed if he hadn't tried! From what we read about Peter we know he had his fears. But what comes across to the reader is that here is a person who wasn't afraid to fail! Whenever I ponder this story of Peter walking on water I wonder how many people there are who wouldn't have even put a foot overboard! That's the tragedy of being afraid to fail. Fear keeps us from embracing opportunities! So what can we learn from Henry Ford's comment? It is imperative that we keep our eyes fixed on the goal! The author to Hebrews (12:2) puts it this way:

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Jesus faced all sorts of obstacles during his life on earth but rather than fixing His eyes on the obstacles he fixed His attention on the goal of accomplishing what He came to do and then allowing Himself to feel the enjoyment that would be His upon His return home!

It's amazing how obstacles suddenly take on the appearance as mountains once we take our eyes off the goal! A classic example is the report brought back by those who were assigned to explore the land of Canaan: "We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are. The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size......we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them (Numbers 13)." Fear was allowed to set in their hearts and quickly that fear spread like wildfire among the people of the community (Numbers 13,14). The more we focus on our fear the less accurate, healthy & positive is our perception of reality! Reality becomes distorted!

My words of encouragement is simply: DON'T BE AFRAID TO FAIL! For it is often through our failures that success comes. Failing is all a part of maturing, growing up! We have all failed many times if we think about it. Remember how we learned to walk? Up & down, up & down, up & down! Remember the first time we tried to swim? Between splashing & swallowing water, we nearly emptied the pool! Remember the first time we came to the plate swinging a bat hoping to hit the ball? It looked so easy when we watched others! Remember the first time we drove a car with a standard transmission. I'm still suffering from backlash! I remember reading about R. H. Macy who failed seven (7) times before his store in New York finally caught on! Then there is Babe Ruth who while hitting 714 home runs also struck out 1,330 times! In a message published in the Wall Street Journal  (United Technologies Corporation 1981, Hartford, Connecticut 06101) the dominant thought was "DON'T WORRY ABOUT FAILURE. WORRY ABOUT THE CHANCES YOU MISS WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN TRY!"

I've had people say that one of their reasons for not becoming a follower of Jesus Christ is their fear of failure! What if, they say, I begin my journey with God and for whatever reason can't continue! My response is 'Don't worry about failing. The chances are that the good times you will experience and the successes you will have will far outweigh the failures. And besides, what looks like a failure may well be the beginnings of something brand new!'

So let's say your goal is to know God. Begin today by doing what the Psalmist suggests:

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him"
(Psalm 34)

Visualize your Heavenly Father as being gracious, kind, compassionate and understanding. See Him with His arms wide open inviting you to come to Him. Become still and in that quietness listen and hear Him speak into the deepest part of your being:

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
(Matthew 11:28-30)

Then make a decision, a choice to come to Him just as you are. Then consciously, turn your life & your will over to Him. Your journey will have begun!