Sometimes failure is easier to overcome than the shame that is involved with it. There have been failures in my life that brought me shame. If it wouldn’t have been for the shame, I could have simply got up and walked on. But the shame kept me in this loop of not looking at the situation so that I could deal with it and move on. Failure – Shame!

I have heard it said, and I mention it a lot, but it often bears repeating. I heard that Thomas Edison was interviewed and asked how he overcame over 10,000 failures in inventing the light bulb. His reply was something like this. I simply found 10,000 ways not to do it. He didn’t look at failure in a negative sense but rather from a positive and uplifting point of view. I guess he could have been ashamed at some point along the way and given up, but he didn’t. If he had only one failure per day, it would have taken him 27.4 years to find the solution to the light bulb. Would you have been discouraged? I think I would have. I wonder how many failures or ways of finding things that don’t work before we give up.

Another avenue for shame is doing something that in our eyes or the eyes of someone else is shameful. We can’t believe we’ve done it and now we are locked into the shame and imprisoned. How will we get out? It will hinder us everytime this area is touched on in our lives. If it is a sexual thing, it can hinder a close relationship with our spouse and thus bring division in our marriage. If it is in a business situation, it can hinder in that area and so on. The Wikipedia defines shame as: the consciousness or awareness of dishonor, disgrace, or condemnation. Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus endured the shame of the cross. He took our sins upon Himself and forgave us over 2000 years ago. His forgiveness is a gift. Will you and I take His gift and forgive ourselves? He already has when we ask. Sometimes the greatest hindrance to our walk is us. We simply can’t or won’t forgive ourselves for something He already has. If He can forgive us, who do we think we are that we won’t forgive ourselves. Are we greater than He is?

Let me state some truths. No one on this earth is perfect. Every single one of us has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Why do we try to measure up to others who are imperfect but put on airs of perfection. Rubbish! Paul wrote about his weaknesses so that the Lord might be glorified. I don’t hear of too many leaders telling about their weaknesses. Some boast about their strengths. Pride and arrogance go before a fall. This is why I share what I share. I am simply one of His servants. I have found a lot of ways that don’t work and some of them are simply wrong. Most I have learned from and have walked on. Some I am still dealing with and working on overcoming. I am a work in progress. I know my limitations in most things and am still finding them in others. I hurt people unknowingly and unintentionally sometimes by my limited and imperfect vocabulary. Do I fall down on my face and give up? No, I choose to continue to walk on. I trust that I live by the Lord’s grace, mercy, and love and will continue to do so. I choose to believe the best in people. I know that the way a person is today can be different tomorrow based upon their choices. We all have the right to discover truth for ourselves, embrace it and let it change our lives.

The cruelest person around can be changed in a heartbeat. If you don’t believe me, read the story of Paul, the apostle. One day he was persecuting and killing the Christians, then He met Jesus face to face and he became one of them. A person, who truly meets Jesus Christ, is a changed person. There are no religious ways about them. They live in reality. It is real. It is a real relationship. There is communion and fellowship. You don’t know until you experience it for yourself. If you want to know Him, simply ask Him what you want to know. He will tell you what you need to know, one step at a time and what you can handle. He cares for us. He loves us. He is not necessarily what someone else says about Him, He is what He says in His word, the Bible.

Dare to find out the truth for yourself. Dare to stand up on your own. Dare to build the foundation of your life on the rock of Jesus so you can withstand all the storms of life. Walk out of the darkness into the truth and be free from the lies of sin. Let love cover you. Let His love embrace you and find the meaning of true peace. Rest from your struggles within and find acceptance. You are not a mistake. You were created with a purpose and a destiny and there is a path for you to walk. It is a good place. Here’s to your victory! Lift up your head and continue on. Help others find their way.

Joseph