“A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful.” Proverbs 28:13, TLB
In America, failure is almost the unpardonable sin and we idolize success. That kind of pressure creates major stress on people. It can cause you to be indecisive, a workaholic, and a perfectionist who clings to safety. When we are afraid to fail, we shun all kinds of risks. For many of us, the fear of failure has an iron grip on our hearts. Even some of the best and brightest people in the world are impacted by the fear of failure.
Failure can be good for you.
Failure doesn’t have to be fatal. Wise people know how to take advantage of failure. They accept it as one of God’s primary tools in making them who He wants them to be.
God uses failure to educate you, so take the opportunity to learn as much as you can. Mistakes are simply learning experiences, and some lessons can only be learned through failure. If you’re not making any mistakes, you’re not learning. If you’re not taking any risks, you’re not growing. When you’re free from the fear of failure, you’re free to grow.
God uses failure to motivate you to change. People don’t change when they see the light; they change when they feel the heat. When you fail, maybe God’s trying to get your attention to move you into a new direction.
God uses failure to build your character. Failure has a way of softening your heart. It helps you grow up and become mature and makes you sensitive to others. It makes you less judgmental and more sympathetic to people around you who are hurting.
Failure doesn’t automatically grow your character. It only builds character when you respond to it correctly and learn from it.