It's OK to Fail!

Have you ever pondered the question why God might want us to fail? We live in a society where success is everything. We tell our children from early on how great they are, what a good job they've done, etc. We do this to build their self-esteem and confidence. There's nothing wrong with being confident.....but in what and in whom?

The Bible study we're doing that I mentioned last week, The Seven Hardest Things God Asks a Woman to Do by Kathie Reimer and Lisa Whittle, discussed " fail vs.succeed" this morning. And let me tell you, it was a lively discussion!

God wants us to fail so we can realize that it's not about "me" and what "I can do". It's about Him. "Our Weakness is actually his most effective tool in using us for His glory and honor." In order to succeed, we have to fail first...to fall down on our knees and confess to our Father that "I can't do it alone! It's too hard! " Once we do this, we invite Him in to help us succeed--through His grace.

When we are discouraged from our weakness and disillusionment of what we think we can/can't do, we need to focus on this scripture.

"This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD. 'Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message.' So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him." Jeremiah 18:1-4

Are we allowing the Potter to shape us into the form that seems best to Him or to us? I mentioned in an earlier post that I had been praying for a while about taking a leap of faith in starting a little business with painting and photography. I've struggled with God on some aspects of this. All weekend long, my head was full of ideas, ideas, and more ideas! It was one of those times when you wake up thinking and can't go back to sleep! I am not a fan of that! I love my sleep!

Yesterday morning, while trying to have my quiet time, "stuff" simply kept popping into my head, and I couldn't shake it or focus on God! I finally closed my Bible and asked Him if these ideas were from Him and if so, did He want me to follow up on them. Once I asked Him this, my heart was at a peace (Phil. 4:6-7) that only He could provide! I was calm! I knew in my heart that His timing was now...He would be with me in order to succeed and not to fail. I had to wait on Him and trust in His ways, not mine. In the past, I've failed on following through with ideas. This time, I was trusting in One who is Holy and Perfect.

In the past 12 hours, I have FINALLY shown my work to several friends, and their reactions have been so encouraging! I have several orders already! I am really excited! But, I know it was His timing and His desire that I follow up on this dream. In order to glorify Him, I need to remember that I am His clay.

Many Blessings,