Skip to main content

“See the building of your character through failure.”

A thought by Christine Caine from her book, Unstoppable: Running the Race You Were Born To Win (p. 153). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Failure, oh we hate failure, we hate to fail, and we hate to be known as a failure, don’t we?

Christine says, “Let’s face the truth — we will falter, fumble, and fail, but failing at something does not make you a failure, nor is it final. The race does not end when you fail at something; the race ends for you when you stop getting back up and continuing to run. Proverbs 24:16 tells us, ‘For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.’ The key is refusing to quit. Do not stop. Never. Ever.

“Our ideas of ‘failing’ and ‘succeeding’ in this race are often built on our false assumptions about the ultimate goal of our race. Remember, it is not so much about what we accomplish for God, but that we are becoming like him. Failure, when offered to him, builds our humility and our reliance on him. Champions persevere through failure. They fall and they fail. Like Peter, they sink, but then they reach. They hide, but then they show themselves. They run, but they return. They strike out in impetuous anger, but they accept rebuke and submit. Champions are never perfect. Only Jesus is perfect. But champions press on. They persevere. They will not be stopped.”

She goes on, “All of us have at one time or another dropped one or several of the batons entrusted to us. But the good news is, it is never too late to pick up the baton where you are and once again run your race so that you can finish your course. Remember, God is bigger than any of our past mistakes. Jesus has redeemed our lives so that we can all have forgiveness for our past, a fresh start today, and a hope for the future. Don’t believe the lie that you have been disqualified from this divine relay somewhere along the way. Instead, pick up your baton, look to Jesus, and start running your race again. You are not out of time. God has given you enough time to do all that he has called you to do. While there is breath in our lungs, while our heart is still beating, there is always a hope, and there is always a future. It is never too late for Jesus to complete the unstoppable work of salvation that he started in you.”

So, will you get up and keep going no matter what has happened?  Will you?


Yes, yes!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)   Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle?   Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...
Post a Comment
Read more

“When you understand that life is a test, you realize that nothing is insignificant in your life.”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 57). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. To realize that from God’s perspective life is a test goes a long way in determining how you handle your life.   It is important to see that in testing your character is both developed and revealed.   Rick goes on to say that “even the smallest incident has significance for your character development. Every day is an important day, and every second is a growth opportunity to deepen your character, to demonstrate love, or to depend on God.” So there is a God purpose behind each situation in your life.   Even the bad ones are there to strengthen you and develop you.   You see those bad situations are really good ones because they are there for your good. I start each day with a reminder that God is good.   Not every situation that is going to come in my day is good but because G...
Post a Comment
Read more

“What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”

A thought by Rick Warren, (2012-10-23) from his book, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? (Purpose Driven Life, The) (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. Rick posed this question at the end of his chapter, You Are Not an Accident.   In this chapter he deals with the fact that God created you the way you are with a purpose.   In other words you are not an accident.   I am also reading the Apostle John’s view of Jesus and what He said and did while He was here on earth.   In the beginning of Chapter 9 there is a story about a blind man.   And the disciples who were with Him asked Him a good question, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind? ”   Have you ever asked the same thing about something in you that you don’t like?   Like that characteristic is a curse or something.   Society has set a standard that is not a standard of God.   Remember, He created you and you are not an accident. Je...
Post a Comment
Read more