I once knew the secret of life. Then I found out that I was wrong.
A few years ago, my goal was to live a life with no regrets. At the time that meant that I had to make all the right decisions, and avoid the messes that everyone around me was getting into.
Broken relationships.
Debt.
Soiled reputations.
Endangered health.
Yeah, I had a plan for dealing with all of that. I would just be a good girl and avoid all of the bad stuff everyone else was doing.
What I know now is that we all fail. All of us. By trying to step carefully around every mud puddle, I limited myself to years of stress, fruitless effort, and nervousness (all right, downright fear). I couldn't understand why I wasn't happier, why life didn't feel more...zestful. Why I wasn't closer to God. Little did I know that by attempting to live a perfect life by avoiding mistakes, I was making the worst mistake of all.
If I could step back in time and hammer something into my brown-eyed, straight-haired, braces-bound, 13 year-old head, it would be that failure is actually a good thing. The Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). I didn't believe that back then. Today I hope I know better.
Even if I could go through life without making any mistakes, I wouldn't want to. Following my perfect Savior: yes. Avoiding pain by never daring to risk failure: no longer.
What would YOU tell your 13 year-old self?
Love your comments about failure and what it can teach us about ourselves. You are right: we all have failed here and there many times. Failures are the character and spirit builders that make us the persons we are, hopefully wiser, more in tune with God and true selves.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting, Johannes! Failure is scary, but if we respond to it correctly it can be a powerful tool.
DeleteBeautiful post! I haven't thought in depth what I would tell my 13 year old self, although I have pondered it some. :-) I do know that I would have told myself that I really didn't have all the answers and there is so much more to a relationship with Jesus than knowing all the right answers. And I would have told myself that spiritual pride and judgmental attitudes were very grave sins...just like all the other ones I saw in people that I judged. *whew* :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
I'm right there with you, Melinda! The "right answers" pitfall is one that is all too common in "good girls" like us. And spiritual pride...yeah. I definitely know how that one goes.
DeleteBest wishes as we both work through our issues :)