Monthly Archives: January 2018

What to do After Failure?

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On Sunday, in church, my husband Matt was preaching about how to handle failure. He had us stop and write in our notes where we have failed. He said that you can not move forward past failure until you have first acknowledged the failure. I stopped to think and started to write down my failures. In that moment, I felt so overwhelmed. I thought of all the ways I had failed in 2017– all the things I wanted to accomplish and didn’t, the frustrations and failures I felt in my personal life and with my kids… and on and on the list went.

Failure can be debilitating if we don’t know how to handle it.

Peter’s Failure

One of the best examples of life after failure is the story of Peter. Peter’s story is so sad, but I can so easily relate to it. In Jesus’ deepest hour of pain and need, Peterone of His closest friends betrays Him. The Bible says that Peter cursed and denied ever knowing Jesus. At that moment, Jesus looked on Peter, Peter heard the rooster crow, and in that moment the weight of his failure sank in. The Bible says that Peter went out and wept bitterly.

How do you come back from a failure like that? Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends, betrayed Him. Yet Jesus knew Peter was going to do this and gave him advice days before. We find His advice in Luke. Jesus is talking to Peter and says,

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. Luke 22:31,32

Jesus says, “Simon, (Peter) Satan wants to separate you and pull you away from Me. But I have prayed for you, and when you come back to Me… strengthen your brethren.” Jesus knew that Peter was going to fail, so He gave Him what he needed to be able to make it back. “When you do fail, come back to Me,” Jesus said. “And after you come back to Me, use your failure to be an encouragement to your friends and family.”

Less than two months later, Peter preaches at Pentecost and over 3,000 people get saved!

What an encouragement to remember life is not over after failure!

After Failure

Jesus used Peter’s failure in such an incredible way. How can we learn from his example? How do you use your failure to propel you forward to accomplish what God has for you?

  1. Allow your failure to refocus your attention back on Jesus.
  2. Follow your failure up with a second chance. Try again.
  3. Commit to empathy towards others, not just authority. Don’t forget where you’ve come from.
  4. Use your failure to grow your faith.
  5. Leverage your failure with humility and strength.

If we can take those five steps, we will be able to come back after failure stronger than ever and be ready to accomplish what God has for us.

My Not-So-Great Start to the Year

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The Ending to our Holidays

So it’s a new year, and ours is off to a crazy start! We spent the holidays in Illinois with family and drove back to Pennsylvania a few days after the start of the new year. Well, my husband Matt (who has a severe wheat allergy), got wheat somewhere on our trip and spent the entire night in the bathroom at our hotel throwing up. From there, we drove home, stopping every little bit for him to use a bathroom on the way. We finally got home, began the long process of unloading the van and unpacking the suitcases and fell into bed in the early morning hours.

The Disaster at Home

The next morning, we awoke to a disaster in our kitchen. We have had a mice problem this winter and have been repeatedly setting traps. Well, apparently they decided to throw a party while we were out-of-town. They got into everything in our pantry! We had to throw out every single item in our pantry. Frustrated doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt! Matt went out and bought more traps, we called an exterminator, and spent the next few days cleaning out every closet, every shelf, every storage bin in our house, and more. It was quite an undertaking.

In the midst of all this chaos, I took an afternoon to read a little bit to try to take my mind off all the craziness. I went upstairs to read while my kids played in the playroom. A few minutes later, I looked up from my book to see my three-year-old Maggie standing on top of the Lego table trying to jump rope! Seriously?! I told her immediately to get down. What happened next was a disaster. I watched as if in slow motion as she tried to jump down from the table. She went one way and the table went the other way. The momentum shoved her off-balance and into a corner wall where she hit her head and split it open.

A Visit to Urgent Care

So my quiet afternoon was interrupted by screaming, lots of blood, and a visit to urgent care. We spent the night in the urgent care getting four staples into Maggie’s head. That was not a fun process, and not one I am looking to repeat anytime in the near future.

Maggie all wrapped up and ready to go home.

That night was followed by a flu bug that hit our house. My six-year-old Madison threw up all the next day. Soon after that, Malachi got the bug and spent his day throwing up. With all the craziness, we didn’t do any homeschooling for the entire week.

So that is why I find myself halfway through January and just now getting a post out. Our start to 2018 has been a train wreck! I’m a little scared to see what the rest of the year is going to bring!

Success in God’s Eyes

I was so looking forward to a new year and a fresh start. This is not how I was planning on my year starting out. I can get all worked up and crazy about it, or I can choose to just accept it for what it is. I am reminded of a message Matt preached a few weeks ago.

In a message Matt was preaching before Christmas, He talked about success and what success looks like. One of the phrases he said really caught my attention.

Success isn’t achievement; it’s obedience to God.

He followed up with a few questions to ask ourselves to see if we are truly being successful.

  1. Did I do what God said?
  2. Am I doing what He created me to do?
  3. Am I doing the best I can with the abilities, resources, and opportunities I have been given?
  4. Have I followed through?

I think my picture of success probably looks so different from God’s picture. My picture of success looks like starting out 2018 with a bang. Exercising every day, eating right and losing weight, getting my entire house cleaned and organized, homeschooling each day like a pro, writing a couple of blog posts a week, working on my book, and on and on the list goes. I wonder instead if God’s list looks something like this.

  1. Spend time with Me today.
  2. Love your littles and take care of them today.
  3. Encourage and love your husband today.
  4. Notice the people who I put into your path today. Love them for Me.
  5. Do your best to keep your home and home school running smoothly but don’t stress about it.
  6. Rest in Me, and let Me control your life. I can do a much better job anyway.

This year, I want my definition of success to be simple obedience to God each and every day by stepping into what He has for me that day. ~Faithfully Stepping~

Photo credit: Ben White