The Meaning of Failure

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:1-10 ESV). Unfortunately, most us equate our performance with our personhood. It is a terrible mistake that sets people up for unhappiness, depression, and even suicide. Some women aren’t stunning, and some men aren’t handsome. Only a tiny percentage of students graduate with 4.0 GPA’s. Not everybody who applies gets into graduate school or professional school, and some that get in either can’t take the pace or decide it’s not worth it. Some people can never break into the career they want. You may never be the top salesperson in your company. You may not make top-level management. You may have no musical talent. Some people get married and are unable to make their marriages work. Some people break the law, get caught, and spend time in prison. Some unmarried women get pregnant. The list can go on and on indefinitely. All of us fail at some things, and some failures, whether relationship failures or moral failures, are worse than others are. But no failure means that you are worthless as a person, that your life is without meaning, or that you are unimportant in the eyes of God. Some people I know would never have risen from the ashes of a failure like King David’s adultery or Simon Peter’s three denials. They would have told themselves that they were worthless failures as people, that their lives could never again be valuable, and that God would never give them another chance. To fail at something means simply that, well; you have failed at something. It most assuredly does not mean you are useless, insignificant, and meaningless as a person. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Your failures don’t mean that God has given up on you either. God is determined and persistent in his quest for your salvation. He is the shepherd who searches the open country until he finds one stray sheep from his fold. He is the woman who sweeps her house until she finds a lost coin. He is the father who keeps his eye on the horizon, looking for the outline of his prodigal son starting toward home. Our God is in the forgiving and renewing business. Don’t ever doubt that. And don’t ever let Satan convince you that your Father would give up on you, no matter what you have done or how far from him you have strayed.