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“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!
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