HOW TO HANDLE FAILURE

Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the LORD upholds him with His hand. (Psalm 37:24)

Failure doesn't always look the same to everybody but we all view failure the same way...we all hate it. In 1 Thessalonians 3:1-3, Paul tells the Thessalonians how he had relied on the strength of God to turn what might have been deemed a failure into a success. We were made by God to succeed and overcome. Failure however comes to every one of us at some point in our life. It may be failing an exam, failing in a marriage, failing in business, failing in ministry...the list can go on and on. Often time what we call failure is only a challenge of life and the best way to deal with a challenge is not to react to it but rather to face and respond to it. Some Christians would prefer to pretend that nothing is happening, or indolently declare that "God will do it", rather than face the challenge of failure.

Facing the challenge of failure involves asking ourselves the tough questions. What did I do wrong? What should I do to prevent this from happening again? Failure is failure and no amount of time can change it to success until you consciously take the necessary steps to change it. As a matter of fact, the longer a particular failure remains unattended to, the more failures begin to appear in other areas on our life. So the earlier you face and deal with it, the better.

Apart from facing the challenge, you must also approach it with the right attitude. When you begin to ask questions like "Why me?" you are reacting and that is a negative attitude, which complicates issues rather than generate solutions. You must understand that the reason challenges come your way is because you have what it takes to handle them. Just as the answer to every mathematical problem is contained within it, the solution to your challenge is within you. Otherwise God would not permit it to come your way.

You must also be determined to have a new beginning. A new beginning means turning a season of failure into that of success, productivity and relevance. The greatest problem facing many people who find themselves in the grips of failure is the sense of shame and the thought of how or where to begin again. Some feel there is no use trying and others believe it is too late, so they settle with failure. But it may interest you to know that God called Abraham at age 75, when it looked as if the greater part of his life was gone. God gave him a new beginning. So, it is never too late or impossible to have a new beginning in life. My encouraging word to you today: fight every failure in your life so you can create a life of relevance for yourself!