There's Nothing To Be Afraid Of - Encouragement Café - March 27, 2018
There’s Nothing To Be Afraid Of
By Jill Beran
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again… Proverbs 24:16 NIV
The game is one we should have won and my play contributed to the loss. I walked into the locker room feeling like a failure and found myself shocked with my coach’s words,
Sometimes a loss isn’t all bad… you can learn more from it than a win.
Those words didn’t sit well with me, a competitive perfectionist at the time, but years later when I became a coach, I had a better understanding.
A loss, when handled correctly, provided opportunities for improvement, brought a team together and kept the players humble. It also kept things in perspective, built character and taught us to persevere.
Friends, I’ve had to remember this lesson as a wife, mom, friend and follower of Christ. Granted nobody is keeping score, but there are moments I fail. As a new wife and a young mom, there were many times I feared failing. This fear would paralyze me, make me anxious, create questions and cause me to doubt.
Eventually, I remembered my coach’s words and could sense God telling me the same thing. Failing is a part of basketball, but it’s even a bigger part of life. Failure isn’t necessarily something God wants for us, but it is something He allows in order for us to grow. And friend, He doesn’t want me, or you, to fear it.
His Word tells us, “though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.” It’s a given that we will fall sometimes, but the important thing to focus on is our actions after the fall. Friend, rather than fearing failure before it happens, let’s remember what we need to do after it occurs.
We must rise again! Though a failure in life hurts even more than one on the basketball court, we’ll learn from it, and we can be stronger because of it! Failing is nothing to fear, but something to expect… it’s an experience that is hard, but carries a purpose.
Friend, when you find yourself fearing failure, press on and make David’s words your own,
When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. Psalm 56:3 (NIV)
When do you fear failure? Why do you fear failure? Take some time to think about this today and ask God to prepare you to handle these fears differently the next time they arise.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being the ONE who does not fail, and thank You for still loving us when we do. Lord, we ask You to replace our fear of failure with trust in You. Help us to remember that You can use our failures, and they even have a purpose in Your plan. Father when we fail, because we will, help us get back up again. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
© 2018 by Jill Beran. All rights reserved.
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