Numerous challenges present themselves in our lives that provide us ample opportunities to succeed and fail, respectively. We all generally aim to grow so that we may obtain the corresponding rewards. What many of us fail to realize, however, is that even failure has its share of benefits. In Proverbs 18:12 it reads:
12 “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor is humility.”
Proverbs 18:12 (NKJV)
Interestingly enough, continuous success with limited exposure to failure can often cultivate a haughty temperament. Meanwhile, this verse emphasizes, “before honor is humility.” We garner humility through failing, which opens the door for us to learn valuable insight. Those of us who think we have everything figured out in some avenue of life tend to become careless and, as a result, could dramatically impede our improvement. However, if we take the path of humility, whether, in victory or loss, we recognize that there is a lot we don’t know. Albert Einstein seems to have agreed with this mindset as he said,
“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”
Failures seldom feel satisfying or welcome at the moment. But they can offer us nuggets of wisdom that are often only derived from experience. We can save ourselves a great deal of pain and inconvenience by learning from others. However, our shortcomings are simply a part of life we must cope with and hopefully maximize. In other words, it’s not realistic or practical to assume every lesson is available before we must learn it the hard way. Fearlessness of failure may be difficult to obtain at first, but we can learn to welcome it in many cases. In doing so, we facilitate creativity, entrepreneurship, and ambition to blossom in our lives. It’s up to us to make sure that we recognize God’s will in all of it and align our priorities accordingly. Our gifts, talents, resources, and time all can glorify God when we steward them properly.
When King David was a young man, he demonstrated great faith and courage in battling Goliath. His actions that day saved the lives of countless men who would have otherwise needed to engage in combat. Goliath underestimated David, as he couldn’t imagine how his opponent could pose a threat. Ultimately, of course, we know David won the battle decisively with his sling and stone. God’s grace empowered him to take a massive step of faith outside of his comfort zone and overpower what appeared to be an insurmountable obstacle. We can see Proverbs 18:12 in action in this story. Goliath was operating from an arrogant disposition and faced destruction perhaps very few imagined possible. On the flip side, we saw David, a humble and faithful servant of God, persevere and was immediately honored. Later in life, that honor even extended to becoming the King of Israel. He derived fearlessness from faith in God, and he demonstrated that confidence through his boldness.
There’s a lot to learn from this instance, but the primary lesson is to retain unwavering confidence that God is in absolute control. I am not implying we must fight every battle, but we can find strength, provision, and refuge in God when facing a threat of any kind. Isn’t it comforting to know that God is with us at all times? (Joshua 1:9) Without Jesus Christ, we are nothing. But with Him, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). If we rely on our strength and discipline to engage in spiritual warfare, it’s only a matter of time before we fail. It’s when we come to God in humility and trust Him that we obtain true victory. We cannot afford to make the mistake of Goliath and underestimate our adversary (1 Peter 5:8). The stakes are too high, and our weaknesses are numerous. Thankfully, our God is greater than any obstacle we will ever encounter.
It’s worth noting that even when we are on God’s side, we may still lose battles occasionally. The reality is that sin still lives in us on this side of eternity. Take a look at what 1 John has to say:
“8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
1 John 1:8-10 (NKJV)
Thankfully, God often utilizes the lost battles for His eternal purposes when we do fail. Therefore, we must continually face this reality and ask God to help us repent, forgive us, and cleanse us of all unrighteousness accordingly (1 John 1:9). Beyond that, past sins can serve as part of our testimony to God’s mercy and grace. For example, He may lead us to share the Gospel and warn people about the struggles we faced in the hopes that they might not fall into those same snares. In this way, we might empower our brothers and sisters in Christ to resist the temptation to compromise the way we did. Additionally, those who already stumbled in similar ways we did may be encouraged by the fact that they can also be set free from slavery to sin through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. However, we must note that none of this should become the catalyst for opening the door to sin in our lives (Romans 6:1-14).
Take comfort that God has already won the war for us through Jesus Christ dying on the cross (John 3:16). We were bought at a price, and it was the greatest one ever paid. God made it possible for you and me to be redeemed from our sins and opened the door for us to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. No matter how many times any of us has failed here on earth, we can rest assured that God will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5). When we fear God, there’s nothing else we ought to be afraid of, not even death (Matthew 10:28). After all, nothing can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38).
