Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker
Successful Failure
Mom loved to make people happy with her home-cooked country meals. The one I remember most, and treasure the highest, was her fried quail, mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy, sweet tea, and chocolate pie from scratch. As a youngster, I often helped her in the kitchen, but she was leery about me using a knife. She simply didn’t trust me to accomplish the task without cutting myself. I remember being willing to slice potatoes, but she wouldn’t allow me to do it. I was probably in high school when she finally let me to use a sharp knife. Because of her training, I’ve always had a healthy fear of knives. After all these years, I can remember only one time that I cut my finger with an electric knife. I blamed it on being tired and pregnant.
Having a reverential fear and awe of God will help keep believers from hurting themselves (morally and spiritually) as they navigate life. The Word of God is often referred to as an owner’s manual, instruction book, map, etc. I’m sure the owner’s manual for my electric knife included, “Unplug knife before removing blades.” There are times when we throw caution out the window, make an unwise decision, disappoint God, and foolishly hurt ourselves. John Wayne would say, “Live and learn or die stupid.”
I’m so thankful God made a way for Christ followers to receive healing for the wounds of our failures. John the Beloved wrote: “You are my dear children, and I write these things to you so that you won’t sin. But if anyone does sin, we continually have a forgiving Redeemer who is face-to-face with the Father. Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2 TPT). This is not rocket science because God knows we’re mortal beings with limited understanding. It’s grace-and-mercy science. I appreciate this encouraging passage on how to live a successful, victorious life. We’re cautioned, “Don’t sin. But if you do, ask for forgiveness, receive it, and get on with your life in Christ.”
“If we boast that we have no sin, we’re only fooling ourselves and are strangers to the truth. But if we freely admit our sins when His light uncovers them, He will be faithful to forgive us every time. God is just to forgive us our sins because of Christ, and He will continue to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9 TPT). Walking daily in God’s light is sweet fellowship at its highest. We all fall down at times, so while we’re down and on our knees, that’s when we turn to Jesus for mercy. Thankfully, our Redeemer continually turns failure into success when we ask for His forgiveness.
Jon Mohr and John Randall Dennis penned the lyrics to the song, “More than Anything.” The recording, released in 1995 by Point of Grace, is a powerful reminder of God’s steadfast love for all people: “God loves the weary when they’re too weak to try. He feels their pain, He knows their shame. He cries with those who cry. He won’t give up or walk away when other people do ‘cause God loves people more than anything. God loves the wounded who’ve stumbled into sin. He reaches down and pulls them out and cleans them off again. And He will heal the broken heart that’s given up on love ‘cause God loves people more than anything. God loves people more than anything, God loves people more than anything. And more than anything He wants them to know He’d rather die than let them go ‘cause God loves people more than anything.”
The Key: Believers need a reverential fear of God so we won’t sin. But if we do, He knows how to take a failure and turn it into a success. Because God loves people more than anything.