Failure

Happy New Month!

How many failures have you already encountered the past 31 days? Be of good cheer. All of us fail. It could be academically, morally - is sin not precisely this?... and all other forms of failures. The essential lesson to learn is that while we meet failures, we must never regard ourselves as failures.

For sometime now, even as I type this reflection, I have been praying and pondering regarding a lot of failures I have experienced and how I came out learning. I missed an appointment last year and my mum's words gives me consolation always:

'if you're disappointed today, God has a fresh appointment for you tomorrow '- 

Failures are deferred success. Absolutely they are!

I had to repeat a class while in secondary school because I failed a core subject; I felt really bad! As the rest of the students went home rejoicing, that holiday was a moment of 'sober reflections' ... seeing that my mates would become my seniors and my juniors would become my mates; it was a hard step on my pride ( And God used that season to deal with the pride side of 'Mr Flesh' in my life ).

I was burdened with grief and pain such that I  became so self-enclosed as to shut myself out. My hopes of graduating at 15 shattered; when I resumed,I sat in class on the back bench as an expression of my 'emotional backwardness'. Anyways, with time God gave me reasons to be grateful for my failure and maximize the opportunities it brought.

We need to befriend our failures and not to berate them. Failures if maximised mould strength within us. We all fail; hence, we ought not to condemn others of their failures because when we condemn we not only become judges, but we remain blind to our own faults and failures.

Failures urge us to perserve and persist and never give up. They help bring to the surface hitherto unknown reserved resources which we never had the occasion to discover and deploy.

All failures are but learning experiences. They spur us on to do more, to stretch ourselves further without breaking ourselves in the process.
Those who struggle and slog, even if they meet with failure, we need remember that hard work is its own reward!
Failures are deferred success - Thomas Edison and the host of other global giants made meaning out of their failures.
Don't lie down after falling, make sure you RISE UP!

"For I consider that the sufferings (Failures) of this present times are not worthy to be compared to the glory (Success) which shall be revealed in us"

- St Paul in Romans 8:18, words in bracket at mine!

Have a lovely month ahead! Subscribe!



PS: Msgr Alex Rebello taught me a few things I cited therein, and his words triggered my 'sacramental imaginations'.