one last word on fail

I'm only using this as the post image because I'm excited about the start of the NFL

season, not because I have a problem with Tom Brady.

So a big part of the UnitedLife family came back from Mount Baker yesterday night (after a quick pit stop in Burlington for some Popeye's). About 35 of us spent the weekend meditating on the theme: "Fail", based on 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. It was a weekend full of learning and opening ourselves up to hearing from God, and He did not disappoint.

But before we put the theme to rest for the time being, I wanted to reflect on one more thing: the connection between failure and fear.

Fear of failure can actually be clinical problem (atychiphobia). At the clinical level, fear of failure paralyzes you from trying anything that you might look bad doing, even if you want to do it. It can come from the trauma of experiencing a major embarrassment for a minor failure earlier in life, or it can come from being raised in a family that constantly demeaned you and never gave you positive feedback. Those who fear failure not only strive to be perfect, they feel an internal pressure to never make mistakes, a pressure which can keep them from fully living.

When we hear Paul talk about Christ's power being made perfect in our weakness in 2 Corinthians 12, we need to think about how our weaknesses make us feel. What do you do with your weaknesses, your imperfections? Do you try to hide them? Do you try to compensate for them by always playing to your strengths? Do you wear your weaknesses and failures on your sleeve? Most of us, I think, feel pretty negatively about our weaknesses. Most of us are afraid of them.

Failing assaults our self-image. We spend time in front of the mirror trying to put every hair in place, cover up every blemish, make sure everything looks good (doesn't matter if you're a guy or girl...nearly a million men subscribe to GQ), and failure threatens to mess all of that up. We're afraid of failure not simply because of its consequences (losing a job, not getting into the school we wanted), but because it has the power to make a joke out of who we're trying to be.

So when Christ says to Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness", he's also saying: "Paul, do not be afraid. Who you are isn't in the image you build for yourself, it's in Me. Unlike your image, I'm not fragile. I'm never going to drop or humiliate you, even if you totally screw up. In fact, it's in those moments that you do mess up that people will see My power as it saves and protects you."

Followers of Christ need to live by this confidence. We were not meant to tiptoe around inside a perfectly manicured bubble, making sure we draw inside the lines and never drop anything. We were meant to live, and live boldly. We were meant to love loudly. We were meant to let Christ save us from our mistakes, not believe we can keep mistakes from ever happening. We were meant to trust in Him.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9

from the UnitedLife 2009 Retreat: Fail