Reach For The Sky

There was a time in my life when I was terrified of failure. I was afraid of failing at things that really mattered to me, but not anymore. Now I’m more afraid of succeeding at things that don’t matter. I’ve learned that being a disciple isn’t about doing everything right. Discipleship is as much about failure as it is success. It’s actually about being willing to do whatever God calls us to do with courage and enthusiasm. Failure is success if we learn to be better in the process.

The world wants you to think that ‘success’ is the hallmark of life. They tell us we need to make a lot of money, buy a lot of things, live in a big house, drive a nice car, etc. When you do these things, then you are successful. That’s the world’s message and it’s never-ending. However, the kind of life God calls us to is one of sacrifice. In the world’s eyes that looks more like failure than success.

It’s important to remember that God cannot fill you up until he empties you out. With God down is up. Failure is the path to victory. Defeat is the road to triumph. Death is the way to life. The last will be first. This is the essence of the gospel. It’s the message of the cross. Coming to the end of self is the only way to truly discover oneself.

The world’s motto is “Get.” Get, get, get, and get some more. It reminds me of the old expression, “Get all you can, can all you get, and sit on the can.” In other words, accumulate everything you can. Preserve everything you amass. Finally, guard your assets so no one else can get them from you. The kingdom’s motto is the opposite: “Give.” Give, give, give, and give some more. Give until it hurts and keep on giving, trusting God as the source.

God allows seasons of failure to help us grow. He wants us to learn to give more than we get because he knows if we get more than we give that we’ll become consumed by what we get and not focus on what we need to give. That’s a tongue-twitter, but it’s true. It’s also difficult to swallow, especially for Americans. We are winners; we don’t fail, ever. At least that’s what we’re told.

Remember, the kingdom doesn’t play by the world’s rules. God knows what we’re holding on to. He knows the areas of our lives that need to be purged. Failure is simply part of the process. God didn’t make it a three-strikes-and-you’re-out sort of deal. It’s more about how God helps us dust ourselves off so that we can swing for the fences again.

A life motto for me has been… “If you don’t quit, you can’t lose.” Say that out loud, “If you don’t quit, you can’t lose.” With God, this is spot-on. You may feel like a failure sometimes, but as long as you keep the faith, you’re still in the game. No matter how many times you swing and miss, you’re never out with God.

You don’t get to shape all the circumstances of your life. But have you ever thought that maybe Jesus is using the circumstances to shape you? The master sculptor is constantly chiseling away the rough spots. Like any great artist, he never stops working until the sculpture becomes a masterpiece. It’s a painstaking process, but the end result is out of this world, literally.

Satan will never stop calling you out. It is like a baseball game and the Devil’s the umpire. Life decides to throw you a curveball. Ever had that happen? When you swing and miss the Devil says, “Strike one.” Life throws you a fastball. You swing and miss and Satan says, “Strike two.” Then life throws you a changeup. You swing and miss the Devil says, “Strike three, you’re out!”

Now if you believe that you will drop your bat, hang your head, slump your shoulders, go to the dugout, and sit on the bench for the rest of your life. You will spend a lot of time thinking about what might’ve been, what could’ve been, and what should’ve been. You’ll spend the rest of your life living with a sense of failure if you buy into the rules of the world.

However, you’d be forgetting that the kingdom plays by a different set of rules. So, when the Devil yells, “Strike three, you’re out!” Turn around, with your bat in hand, and say, “Satan, it’s my bat, my ball, my Dad owns the field, and I’m not out, not now, and not ever.” Step back up to the plate and keep swinging and believing, and believing and swinging, until you get a hit and get on base.

“Success is going from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm” ~Winston Churchill. So, never let success get to your head and never let failure infect your heart. Stay focused on Jesus and never, never, never give up. Reach for the sky every single day. If you don’t quit you can’t lose.

(Sources: Bob Goff, Brian Zahnd, Winston Churchill)