The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.

Proverbs 24:16

Winston Churchill once said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” But in the success-driven world in which we live, failing enthusiastically is certainly not something we see very often. Most of us fear failure like we fear the plague or public humiliation, as if failing is the worst possible fate. But making mistakes, messing up, is a completely normal and healthy part of life! With the exception of God, nobody ever succeeded at anything great, without first pushing through countless failures. 

Even Jesus’ disciples, His closest followers and dearest friends, failed. When Jesus was arrested, “All the disciples deserted Him and fled.” (Matthew 26:56) Fortunately for us, they all came back after they saw their risen Lord. And they teach us a valuable lesson: It isn’t the failure that matters to Jesus. It’s what we do after the failure that counts. 

When projects, plans, and even relationships fail, it stings more than a little. And if you choose to only focus on yourself, your shortcomings and your fear of trying again, then failure and its sting can become a permanent part of who you are. You could spend your lifetime, and a lot of energy, on the longest pity party in history. But if you persevere and fix your eyes on Jesus and lean into Him, your little failure is nothing more than a speed bump on this journey called life. And speed bumps never ruin the entire journey—they just require you use your brakes.

God specializes in all sorts of lost causes. Jesus was dead, after all, before He raised Him to life! So no matter how many times you trip, no matter what “failures” you are struggling through, God isn’t just standing there waiting for you to get back up. He’s reaching down to help you to your feet. Grab His hand! You are loved!