FailedIt: My Many Failures
Last Summer in Colorado I thought a lot about what I’d like to do next as a project. I thought about past projects and saw a distinct pattern in my 40+ years on this earth. The pattern was failure. Failedit!
Read the whole FailedIt Series.
Don’t get me wrong – I value failure. Though it can be a very painful process. It’s a great teacher too. I’m encouraged by the many failures of great men like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and pretty much everyone in the Bible. If nothing else, I’m encouraged also because based on the laws of averages and such, I’m due. Overdue.
FailedIt
So in relation to this blog and these thoughts, I decided to write about my many failures. This post is just a quick intro into what to expect and my many names for my many failures.
I read Bob Goff’s book “Love Does” which lead me to Donald Miller’s Book “Storyline 2.0” which lead me through setting some goals and such through his system. It’s a great system and motivated me to write something. It turned into this.
In “Storyline 2.0” one of the exercises is going through and looking at your failures and how God has redeemed them. Not necessary that you come up with reasons why you’re glad those things happened, but how has God used them.
So often it’s our struggles, failures, trials and fallings that we’re able to empathize and sympathize with others and love them. Hopefully God has and can continue to use my failures to encourage and inspire others… or at least serve as a cautionary tale.
The pastor of a church I used to go to has written several books. I was reading one and he had a lot of examples of people from the congregation (no names). In my pride, I was hoping one would be about me. I think it was, but it was far from a positive example. I thought to myself – that’s where I am, I’m a cautionary tale: don’t be like this guy. Great.
But I do feel that I’ve grown in my failures. In reality, many of my failures aren’t true failures. However, I believe as I go through them, you’ll see how I view them as failures. Even a silver medal is a failure to win a gold. Or a gold medal can be a failure in priorities depending on the person.
My intention is to focus on the best-of-the-best of my failures, but this also may be a “living series” and vary over time. So please come along for the journey and comment or otherwise send me your thoughts. God bless.
