Failure. We've all been there. We hate it when it happens and we never want to go back. But then it happens again. We find ourselves facing some of our worst enemies; shame, guilt, embarrassment, frustration, low self-worth and so on. In the face of failure, most of us ask questions like, who have I failed, how did I fail and why? However, the most important question we can ask is "how will I respond?" This question is the one that will effect your future.
I read somewhere recently (forgive me for not recalling the source) that when Australia was being formed the leaders gathered to design a crest that would resemble who they wanted to become as a people. They chose two animals, a kangaroo and an emu, that would face one another on the crest. These two animals have something unique in common; both are able to glance backwards briefly to get their bearing but they keep moving forward. In fact, it is said that they can run up to 30mph, but can't even walk backwards. Australia wanted to become a Nation that continues moving forward.
Failure can often keep us living in the past and beating ourselves up for our mistakes. If we're not careful, we can begin to define ourselves through the lens of our failures rather than through the lens of our potential. Here's what I know that's true for me and you...
You're bigger and better than your last failure!
Consider the kangaroo and do these two things to get beyond failure.
1. Glance backward to learn from the experience.
You have to know in your heart that failure is not about your worth or value as a person. Failure is most often about a decision, action and/or circumstance. We all make mistakes because mistakes are part of the process of growing our faith and increasing our potential. Glance back and ask God to show you what to take with you and what to leave behind, but don't stop moving forward.
2. Keep moving forward.
Failure is not your enemy unless you stop moving forward. Allow failure to propel you forward into a fresh momentum that is now better informed, equipped and prepared for new opportunities. You have to live your life forward not backward.
Philippians 3:13 (NASB) 13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,
Keep REACHING FORWARD in your failures and see them as part of growing your potential for great things to come.
Consider the kangaroo!