Reason #486
Have you ever felt like a failure before? Maybe you really messed something up, made a horrible mistake, or let someone down. Maybe you feel like you're failing right now. Failing as a parent, a student, an employee, a spouse, a leader, a provider. You just can't seem to get it right. To make it work. And the more you look around, inspect the lives of others, you feel like you're the only one failing, right? How come it's me? My marriage, my job, my education, my life? Why am I failing? And maybe, rather than doing the failing, you're the one who has been failed.
No one is perfect. Really, it's true. No matter how well they look from the outside, what type of job they have, where they live, what they drive, or even if it appears they have it all together, they don't. And the truth is, we're going to fail. At one point in time or another, you will fail at something or you will fail someone. You will be failed, too. To think otherwise is unrealistic. But I think we may have our idea of failure a little wrong. I think society has given us a false definition. Because to fail means to give up. To throw in the towel, admit defeat, walk away, reject, and stop trying. That is failure.
And so what happens when you've failed one time too many? What happens when you've been failed more than you'd like? A fear of failure. A fear of taking a risk once again. It's scary, no doubt. To fail is humiliating. But have you ever thought that if you keep trying, even though it seems as if you're failing, you're really winning? How can you fail if you don't give up? Is it really failure if you keep trying and don't stop?
I tried to pay close attention to every word that pastor said during our wedding. I wanted each one to soak into my brain forever. He began to quote the love chapter and he concluded by saying, "Love never fails, and if you believe that, neither will your marriage." Love. Never. Fails. Maybe you don't believe those words right now because it seemed that love failed you. I've been there, too. But what is love? Rather, who is love? God. God is love. And if we believe that love never fails, we believe that God never fails.
At the end of our ceremony, Aaron and I exited to a song titled "Love Never Fails" by Brandon Heath. And although, 10 days into our marriage, fully believing that Aaron is as close to perfect as they come, I know there will be times when it seems like we've failed. Maybe it was together, maybe it was separately, but we believe that God never fails. Even when it seems like we've failed at this or that, or failed one another, God never fails. And maybe that's something you need to remember, too. Because if you keep trying, if you keep believing, if you keep trusting and hoping and persevering, knowing with all of your heart that God never fails, you won't either.
So I'm grateful to serve a God who never fails. Even when everything seems as if it is falling apart at the seams, when life is unraveling and hope is flickering, He never fails. He never gives up, and He will never stop trying.
#486 - Because He will never stop trying.
"It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." - 1 Corinthians 13:7-8
No one is perfect. Really, it's true. No matter how well they look from the outside, what type of job they have, where they live, what they drive, or even if it appears they have it all together, they don't. And the truth is, we're going to fail. At one point in time or another, you will fail at something or you will fail someone. You will be failed, too. To think otherwise is unrealistic. But I think we may have our idea of failure a little wrong. I think society has given us a false definition. Because to fail means to give up. To throw in the towel, admit defeat, walk away, reject, and stop trying. That is failure.
And so what happens when you've failed one time too many? What happens when you've been failed more than you'd like? A fear of failure. A fear of taking a risk once again. It's scary, no doubt. To fail is humiliating. But have you ever thought that if you keep trying, even though it seems as if you're failing, you're really winning? How can you fail if you don't give up? Is it really failure if you keep trying and don't stop?
I tried to pay close attention to every word that pastor said during our wedding. I wanted each one to soak into my brain forever. He began to quote the love chapter and he concluded by saying, "Love never fails, and if you believe that, neither will your marriage." Love. Never. Fails. Maybe you don't believe those words right now because it seemed that love failed you. I've been there, too. But what is love? Rather, who is love? God. God is love. And if we believe that love never fails, we believe that God never fails.
At the end of our ceremony, Aaron and I exited to a song titled "Love Never Fails" by Brandon Heath. And although, 10 days into our marriage, fully believing that Aaron is as close to perfect as they come, I know there will be times when it seems like we've failed. Maybe it was together, maybe it was separately, but we believe that God never fails. Even when it seems like we've failed at this or that, or failed one another, God never fails. And maybe that's something you need to remember, too. Because if you keep trying, if you keep believing, if you keep trusting and hoping and persevering, knowing with all of your heart that God never fails, you won't either.
So I'm grateful to serve a God who never fails. Even when everything seems as if it is falling apart at the seams, when life is unraveling and hope is flickering, He never fails. He never gives up, and He will never stop trying.
#486 - Because He will never stop trying.
"It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." - 1 Corinthians 13:7-8