Would God call us to failure?

I was sitting in church one Sunday when something the preacher said made me stop and think. It was something along the lines of "as long as we give our best..." That spurred me to thinking in the opposite direction, Would God actually call us to failure?

We all love those passages like Romans 8:28, "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who are called according to His purpose" or Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

I don't mean to sound like Sad Sack, but life isn't always a bed of roses and the doctrine of prosperity that is preached in many pulpits across the land is counter-productive to sound spiritual growth. What about Matthew 17 when the disciples where sent out, but could not cast out the demons. Were they destined to fail? Was this designed for them to learn the importance of faith? It is hard for me to reconcile that God might actually trip me up at times, but if it is for his purpose, to teach me a lesson, to help me grow spiritually, then maybe, just maybe I am being called to fail.

There have been times in my life I gave my best and the results where miserable. Times I worked hard at my faith, battled my inner demons, fought the good fight, and the expected results just did not come. These were not selfish ambitions, they were meaningful, purposeful dreams that were trampled under foot like yesterday's trash. Like Job I just cried out  WHY?

Why would God call me to failure?  It doesn't seem consistent with His divine nature, but it is. There is so much I still need to learn, so many people I need to help, so many lives that need to be touched. I am reminded of what Christ said about Paul, "I will show him how much he must suffer for my name" (Acts 9:16).

• It is in my personal failures I learned empathy and compassion.
• In the times my goals and dreams were shattered I learned that God expected more of me.
• In days of heartache and loss the clay was softened and molded according to the potter's will.

Living for God is about surrender. Like an enemy on the battlefield of life, we cannot truly surrender all until we are utterly and completely defeated. That is when defeat is swallowed up in victory. That is when death has no more dominion over us. That is when failure has completed its work.

Managing Defeat

"Before success in any man's life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat and perhaps failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do." Napolean Hill

A few years back I had the privilege of working with a friend who ran a men's shelter. My perception of homeless shelters was a place reserved for drug addicts and the most challenged social classes of our society. I was surprised to learn that most of the men came from typical middle-class backgrounds, but somewhere along the way had suffered some devastating defeat in their life. They went through a divorce, had a child die, or were downsized from a longstanding position in the corporate world. Rather than address the problem, it was easier to escape into a world of self-pity and doubt.

I realized then that a very thin line existed between my own failures and defeats and those fighting daily to reclaim the most basic elements of life. "But for the grace of God, goes me." I have been through divorce, depression and discouragement. I have come very close to quitting on things that really mattered. I have spent mornings unprepared and unwilling to wade through another day of disappointment, struggle and hardship, but here I am - one day closer to eternity, one day closer to victory.

I don't have all the answers to managing defeat and failure. I wish I knew how to best overcome the struggles of discouragment and depression. The one thing I am confident about is this. If you want to succeed, you can never surrender your dreams. What sets you apart, lifts you above the masses, the single character issue that places you in the small minority of winners is an unwillingness to quit - for as Napolean Hill correctly stated, "That is exactly what the majority of men do!"

Trent Wheeler