Getting Back Up = The Hardest Part

Failure. It's one of the things I'm most afraid of. Something about my personality makes failure the worst possible scenario. I'm most satisfied when things work out. I know I'm not alone in this. I've met plenty of other people who are crushed when they fail. I think it's part of human nature. We like to have control over things. We like when we get things right. Some people more than others, but I'm sure nobody likes being wrong.

However, failure is unavoidable. All of us at some point are going to fail. I've done so myself in the past week or so. I'll admit that something as small as what I did can make me pretty depressed. I let things people said get under my skin and fester. I think of all the ways I could have done things different or better. It's another symptom of having an overactive mind, over thinking situations that don't matter that much.

A friend told me something while I was in the middle of it all that made me think. She told me we all fail, but it's what we do with it that matters. Are we going to let it crush us, or are we going to learn from it and move on? Are we going to be the ones that huddle in the corner and cry, or are we going to be the ones that stand up, superior over our imperfect flesh, and keep fighting the battle that God has placed us in?

I've been through a lot in my short life, but I can't think of one thing that I didn't gain experience from that I later used to help someone else. Not one time was the pressure and pain so much that I couldn't get back up again. Now, it was hard, there's no doubt about that. But failure is just another trial that makes you stronger. You look at the pieces of your broken life, decide how you could do things better next time or avoid making the same mistake, and praise the Lord for bringing you through yet again!

Sometimes, it's best to give God control of the situation. Especially when you're at the lowest points, it's important to surrender everything to him. He knows what he wants you to learn from this, whether it's to make you stronger or to show you that you've been doing some things wrong.

My advice to you, beloved, you who's a failure just like me, is pray. Spend time with your savior. Talk to him about what's going on, no matter how small or how stupid it may sound in your mind. Read your bible, and seek the answers he wants you to find. It's at these times that you're broken and helpless that God can teach you the most, because those are the times you come running to the arms of your Creator.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
- 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

As you know, I'm always here to talk if you need me. You can leave a comment on the "Get Help" page for other people to see and pray for you, or if you need a little more than that, you can always email me. I'm more than happy to talk and pray with you. If you don't want to do that, I encourage you to find someone who can help you. Go talk to your youth leader or someone older and more experienced who will give you Godly criticism and tell you the best thing to do. Don't do it alone, that's one of the worst things to do. I speak from experience in that. Pray, pray, pray, and I know you will come out of this better than you were before.

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?"
- Romans 8:35