All of us have experienced failure in one or more areas of our lives, whether it be spiritual failure, failure in our professions, education, relationships, or any other personal goals set.
No one is immune to the experience of failing – not even believers who love and follow God. This is why King Solomon could write these words:
“For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity” – Proverbs 24:16
The text highlights the reality that even righteous people are vulnerable to the possibility of failure. The difference between a righteous and an unrighteous person, however, is that if the righteous person does fail, they rise up again.
The important thing to consider is how to approach failure when it does happen, and to recover from it.
(For the sake of this discussion, we’ll define failure as not succeeding at achieving an intended and anticipated goal, outcome, or end-result.)
Three reasons why failure typically happens
- We are finite and limited in our abilities:
Despite our best efforts, we aren’t always able to control the outcomes of circumstances. Thus, failure sometimes happens as a result of our human limitations.
Like a child learning how to walk, they may fail and fail and fail before eventually learning how to walk, because of their limited experience. In the same way, we don’t always have the abilities required to succeed at certain things.
Only God can perfectly control the outcomes of events, but we are human, finite and limited. Since we are all human, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Failure sometimes happens as a result of us being limited in our capacity to bring about a desired outcome.
- We are finite and limited in our knowledge:
We don’t know everything, and we don’t always have a full understanding of all the circumstances and conditions required to bring about a certain end-goal.
Because of this ignorance and limited understanding, sometimes our efforts at achieving various things fail.
This ignorance can result in major failures. In Christ’s day, the people who were meant to embrace Him as the Messiah rejected Him because of their ignorance of His mission. Hence, when they crucified Him, Jesus prayed saying: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Limited knowledge and understanding can result in failure.
- Not following the laws and principles that bring about success:
In many areas of life, there are laws and principles which, when followed, can result in success. Failure happens when those laws and principles are violated and disobeyed.
This is true in nature and in a spiritual sense. When we violate the laws that are designed to bring about our success, both spiritual laws and natural laws, the only result is failure.
Due to our human nature, we don’t always want to follow the laws governing success.
“For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will” (Romans 8:7).
The end result of this is often failure.
In summary, the three main causes of failure are disobedience, ignorance, and finitude (i.e. being finite and limited).
Either way, regardless of the cause, failure still hurts. The thought of not achieving a meaningful and significant goal leads to disappointment, discouragement, and heartbreak.
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” – Proverbs 13:12
In light of this, the Bible offers us an encouragement on how to face failure and rise up from it.
A case study for facing failure:
The book of Luke chapter 5 depicts a scene that offers some great insights into facing a major failure.
“One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.
Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
“Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” – Luke 5:1-5 NLT
There are a few important things to note from this encounter:
- Simon Peter and the other fishermen were experienced and skilled at their craft. They were good at fishing, and they had a right to expect success.
- They tried to fish under what they considered to be the best conditions for success. They had worked all night trying to catch the fish. Nighttime was considered the best time to fish because the fish are unable to see the net.
Nevertheless, despite their best efforts under the best circumstances, the fishermen were not successful – they experienced failure. They were thus tired and discouraged after trying all night.
Utter failure can happen despite one having lots of experience, and even in the best of circumstances. This was the case with the disciples here, and it is possible even in our individual lives.
Examples of such failures can include:
- Falling into sin after committing to do your best to be faithful;
- Failing at a task/responsibility after you made every possible means to succeed;
- Relationship failures, despite being with a seemingly good person, under great conditions.
- Or any other failure which can occur as a result of being finite, ignorant, or disobedient.
In the above encounter, despite their experience, the disciples were finite in their ability to control the outcome of their efforts.
An important thing to note, however, is that even in the case of their utter failure, Jesus still commanded the disciples to go back into the water and try again!
Failure should not stop us from pursuing worthwhile and noble aims. The fact that they had failed before doesn’t change the fact that they still needed the fish – the thing they failed at is still a good thing to pursue.
In light of Jesus’s instruction, Peter’s response is “if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” Simon Peter was willing to try again, not because of any confidence in himself but in the confidence in Jesus’s instruction.
Trying again at Jesus’ command.
When Jesus instructed the disciples to try again, He instructed them to “go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.” (verse 4)
I read this as Jesus instructing them to go to the place where there was the greatest chance at success, and to give it their best shot.
The discouragement of failure often results in us holding ourselves back or living with our guards up. Failure makes people give less than their best because of the fear that they may fail again.
Jesus’ instruction here, as to the disciples, is to try again and to do your best in doing so.
In their attempt to try again after failure, the disciples were not to limit their efforts or give less than their best.
The lesson here is to not stop pursuing what is good and to give it our best efforts, regardless of past
failures.
One can paraphrase Peter’s response to Jesus as him saying “even though I have failed, but because you (Jesus) are instructing me to do so, I will try again.
Simon Peter obeyed Jesus’s instruction and tried again. Peter’s attempt to try again was not based on any confidence he had in himself but in the confidence he had in the power of Christ’s word.
The results of trying again – by God’s instruction.
When this encounter took place, it was morning. This was the least favourable time to fish. Despite this, the disciples tried again, in response to the words of Christ.
Consider the result of what happened after they followed Jesus’s instruction to “try again”:
We are told that “this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.” – Luke 5:6-7
When they tried again, in obedience to the instruction of Christ, the disciples caught a larger batch of fish than they could have anticipated or imagined.
Not only did they achieve an overwhelming success, but their success was enough to even benefit and bless those around them.
This encounter offers us a powerful encouragement to the reality that failure does not have to be the end of the matter.
Where something is good and worth pursuing, Jesus offers us His instruction to try again and to give it our best in doing so. This may even be under the most unfavourable circumstances, but we can borrow Peter’s confidence – the confidence of trying again because it is at the instruction of Christ.
Despite our present and former failures, Jesus still calls us to live a righteous life; He still calls us to give our best in our work and to love those around. Regardless of failures, Jesus still calls us to try again.
Confidence after failure
It is possible to recover from failure – even what seems like utter failure. Like Peter, we may be discouraged at the reality of past failures, even after doing our best. If the aim is truly worthwhile, consider trying again.
To one who, like me, may have experienced failure (especially spiritual failure), God’s word offers us encouragement:
“Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. I will be patient as the Lord punishes me, for I have sinned against him. But after that, he will take up my case and give me justice for all I have suffered from my enemies. The Lord will bring me into the light, and I will see his righteousness.” – Micah 7:8-9
Try again, this time, with Christ.
Summary of points outlined above:
- Failure can happen, even after you have tried your best, because you are human.
- Failure is caused by one of three possible causes: disobedience, ignorance, and human limitation.
- Jesus is aware of our failures, but our failures don’t discourage Him. He still believes in us.
- Don’t stop trying to pursue what is good just because you failed before – try again.
- Success is still possible, even after the worst of failures.
- We can gain success when we follow God’s instruction, despite how unfavourable the circumstances may appear.
