I Feel Like a Failure

The Bible can be read as an account of how God’s faithfulness responds to and overcomes the inevitability of humans to fail.

“It is impossible to live without failing at something unless you live so cautiously that you might as well have not lived at all.” —(J. K. Rowling)

Main Point: Failures are inevitable in the human life, but they are not irredeemable

There are two kinds of failures: failure due to sinfulness, and failures that may have nothing to do with our sinfulness.

When we fail due to our sinfulness, we need to remember and apply 1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. —(1 John 1:9)

When we encounter failure for reasons other than our sinfulness, we need to remember and apply 1 Corinthians 1:7-8

God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that. —(1 Corinthians 1:7-8; The Message)

Mark’s Story

“Don’t let episodes of failure define you as a failure
Never place a period where God has placed a comma.” —(Gracie Allen)

Let God teach you what you need to learn from a failure

“Each failure has been a learning experience and a building block in my spiritual
journey.” —(Yolanda Pierce; Dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School)

Let the reality of your limitations cause you to lean more heavily on God

“God is not so much concerned with what we go through as with how we go through it. Though we may fail in the task that we’ve set out to do, if we respond to that failure with faith, courage, and dependency on the Lord’s strength, rather than with despair, bitterness, and depression, then we are counted a success in his sight.” —(William Lane Craig)

Let episodes of failure cause you to look forward to heaven more

But, above all, (failure) keeps us looking toward heaven, the place where failures will never be known again. Will we remember our failures there? Yes, but not with any pain, only as covered by Christ’s pardon, and only to turn up the volume of our praise. —(David Murray)

Takeaway: > My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. —(Psalm 73:26)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. As you consider the experiences of failure you’ve had in life, are there any that stand out as more significant than others? Why?

2.When you experience failure of whatever kind, how does that affect you? How quickly are you able to learn from it and move on? What factors impact that?

3.When you fail as a Christian to be obedient to all that God asks of you, are you able to receive forgiveness and grace easily, or do you tend to linger in a place of regret and sorrow?

4.What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned from failing?

5.“The Bible can be read as an account of how God’s faithfulness responds to and overcomes the inevitability of humans to fail.” Do you agree with this statement, or not? What do you think of it?

Table Discussion Question – Do you extend the same kind of grace to yourself, when you have failed, as you extend toward others when they fail? What do you imagine God saying to you when you fail at something?