How To Deal With Failures

To come to Jesus is easy. But to follow His footsteps is a tough job, especially when, during the course of our journey of life when we have to halt at the station of failure. Not knowing whether, the halt is going to be a permanent stay.

Failure becomes difficult to accept when one fails at the point of winning. For a moment everything comes to standstill when, the atmosphere, to this very moment was encouraging us to win, all of a sudden, pushes us into the pit of failure. People who were once confident about our victory are now confident about us failing. More than our own lack of success it is the people’s rejection that makes us get drowned into the ocean of failures, “All my enemies, and especially my neighbors, treat me with contempt; those who know me are afraid of me; when they see me in the street, they run away.” (Ps. 31:11)

We fail, but we make the people the final judge of our life and destiny, ignoring the reasons of our failure. Its like ‘failure’ is the ‘stepping-stone’ not to our success, but, the ‘foundation-stone’ for the public judgment! A very disheartening and disappointing moment of life, because we are letting ourselves be slaves of our failures and rejections. Forgetting the fact that God, our dear Abba Father made us to “have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small.” (Gen. 1:26)

The power of negativity

The chains of death are so tightly tied from the crown of our head to the very soles of our feet that we easily allow us to be consumed by the power of negativity. The power is so strong that every heartbeat makes us feel lonely, hurt, humiliated and weak. It is at this moment of crisis that our sweet Jesus gently embraces us and softly whispers into our ears, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” (Rev. 3:20)

“I know you through and through – I know everything about you… I know what is in your heart – I know your loneliness and all your hurts – the rejections, the judgments, the humiliations. I carried it all before you. And I carried it all for you, so that, you might share My strength and victory. I know especially your need for love – how you are thirsting to be loved and cherished. But how often have you thirsted in vain, by seeking that love selfishly, striving to fill the emptiness inside you with passing pleasures – with even greater emptiness of sin. Do you thirst for love? Come to Me all you who thirst… I will satisfy you and fill you. Do you thirst to be cherished? I cherish you more than you can imagine – to the point of dying on a cross for you. I THIRST FOR YOU…” (I Thirst For You by Mother Teresa)

Death is transformed into a new life when we shift our focus from ourselves to the Lord. For, Christ is love and His love gives this new life. “The water that I will give him will become in him a spring which will provide him with life-giving water and give him eternal life.” (Jn. 4:14) Man is born with the spring of life in him and chosen to the royal scepter of Christ the King. The Lord of Glory gives us the dignity which is far beyond our failures. “I have given you great honor although you do not know me.” (Is. 45:4) We are pronounced not just as a social animal, but as a ‘Man’, a ‘true Man’ of courage, boldness and firmness.

The Lord says, “I am the resurrection and life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (Jn. 11:25-26) He is calling you and me to face the challenges of failures and rejections boldly and defeat the strong evil forces by the spirit of our Mighty God for, “the spirit who is in you is more powerful than the spirit in those who belong to the world.” (1 Jn. 4:4) And the victory is ours for the glory of our Lord.

What to do with failures

Every failure that comes our way must be treated gently and not with intense fear. Failure in any field does not mean that we lack the potentiality to win and succeed, its just that we need to do it in a different way. The reasons could be many. One has to accept one’s failure gracefully and surrender it at the feet of our Lord. Like the woman who touched Jesus’ cloak, we also need to come up in the crowd, the crowd full of failures, rejections and loneliness and touch the edge of His cloak and experience the quick healing of our Lord, “My daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:48)

Abba Father, the creator of our being, is the only solution to every problem of ours. He is the ultimate medicine to all our unconquerable tasks and failures, “I am the Lord your God, the one who wants to teach you for your own good and direct you in the way you should go.” (Is. 48:17) He is the perfect antidote to our suffering.

Dear readers in Christ, I do realize that writing volumes on failures and success are easy. In real life the situation is tough. If I consider this page as my confessional, I sincerely confess that at present I am struggling to swim against the harsh waves of failures and defeat. At times, the force is so strong that my limbs grow weak and I feel that I am drowning, it’s hard, and it’s really very hard. But why not my sincere readers, dare to face our challenges boldly and proclaim, “With God on our side we will win; He will defeat our enemies.” (Ps. 108:13)

Let’s be the true brave soldiers of God and fight our enemies back, the strong enemies of failures, sufferings, rejections, loneliness, humiliations, sicknesses and all the negative forces. Let us believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, for “not a single hair from your heads will be lost. Stand firm, and you will save yourselves.” (Luke 21:18)

Let us pray: My sweet Jesus, I believe that I am the perfect divine ‘Lamp of Yours’. You have lighted and chosen me before I was born. You feel so proud and great when this humble ‘Lamp of Yours’ keep burning with all its might for you. But dear Jesus, the force of the enemy Wind is so strong and destructive that I am afraid I will be put out. I am scared of the Wind, my Jesus. I am trying hard to keep myself burning. Its a tough battle. I place myself at the gentle hands of my Mother Mary. I believe in her unfailing protection and intercession for me.

Abba Father, continuously pour your holy oil into this weak ‘Lamp of Yours’. With strong faith I cry out your promising words to Prophet Zechariah, that, I will succeed not by military might or by my own strength; but by the spirit of the Lord. Obstacles as great as mountains will disappear before me, I will rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem and my sweet Jesus will keep me burning till the end. You will make me victorious. I trust in you. Amen.

– – – written by Anu Siby, Kolkotta

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