Fear of Failure

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All my life, I have been absolutely terrified of failure. My poor mother has had to; literally, push me into more than one of life’s stages simply due to my unwillingness to try something new.

Unlike most fifteen year olds, the last thing that I wanted to do was obtain my driver’s license permit. I didn’t want to have to learn to drive, what if I was horrible at it? I didn’t want to take the permit test, how embarrassing it would be if I failed it! No, I was perfectly comfortable being taxied around by everyone else who would offer me a ride.

1 Thessalonians 2:1
“You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a failure.” – NIV

When I think of how averse I am to even the idea of failure, I always seem to be met with stories of Paul. This poor man; how often he met with failure on an eye-to-eye basis. He would plant churches, mold them, nurture and teach them, only to have them fall upon his departure. Wasn’t he even the least bit disappointed? Didn’t he ever fear the next attempt? Wasn’t the idea that it may not work out constantly in the back of his mind?

It takes a certain type of individual to respond to failure so commendably. It takes more than a strong will to accept defeat as nothing more than a stepping stone in the path of greatness, it requires strength of Spirit. The ability to rise above fear is not special, it is spiritual.

May we all remember that, with God, failure is never fatal.