WHATEVER YOU DO – DO NOT GIVE UP!

WHATEVER YOU DO – DO NOT GIVE UP!

March 11, 2005

WHATEVER YOU DO – DO NOT GIVE UP!

Novelist Oscar Wilde once wrote that, “Experience is the
name everyone gives to his mistakes.” While Wilde’s
observation contains a hidden barb intimating that people
can always find an excuse for what they’ve done, it also
points out an everyday truth that says, in essence:
“To fail is to learn a valuable lesson.”

Failure is rarely easy to admit, and often discouraging.
When we fail, we often face the temptation to give up in
frustration. But failure is as much a part of life as
breathing. In the face of failure, we must come back – we
must return to where we started and try again, hoping to
find success on our next try – or the one after that.

If you really think about it, we are all “COMEBACK KIDS.”
Consider the following:

- We all fell down the first time we tried to walk.
- Each of us almost drowned the first time we went
swimming.
- Most of us missed the ball the first time we tried to hit
it, catchit, or kick it.
- Legendary baseball star Babe Ruth hit 714 home runs; but
he also struck out 1.350 times.
- Rowland Hussey Macy, founder of America’s first retail
department store, failed seven times before his store
proved to be a success in New York City.
- Novelist John Creasey received 743 rejections slips; he
then proceeded to write 562 best-selling books.

How do you bounce back from setbacks? Do you withdraw in
discouragement, afraid to risk another failure – or do you
muster up your resolve, determined to try harder and fully
expecting success as you persevere through your challenge?

The correct response. Responding properly to failures and
setbacks results in more than sticking with something long
enough to achieve success. It also helps to shape us into
better people, by building strong, resilient character in
us. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face
trials of many kinds. Because you know that the testing of
your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish
its work so that you may be mature and complete, not
lacking anything.”

Putting faith in the right place. Faith – not only in
ourselves and our abilities, but even more important, it is
critical if we are to succeed in a adversarial world that
cares nothing about our success, and seems dedicated to our
failure. “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and
a future.”

1. A successful entrepreneur once stated that wisdom and
success come from making the right decisions, and we learn
how to make good decisions by making bad decisions. How do
you respond to when you fail – does it motivate you to try
again, with even greater determination, or do you become
discouraged and inclined not to renew your efforts, fearful
of additional failures?

2. Does thinking about your past failures, and those of
others who have later succeeded, encourage you and offer
renewed reason for not giving up? Give an example of a time
that you failed initially, but later succeeded because you
persisted in your efforts.

3. Writer Paul Rees is quoted on how he believes God can
take our failures and transform them into glowing
successes. Do you believe that? Why or why not?

4. Consider this “pure joy” when we encounter various
trials, including our failures. How is that possible? Do
you think trust in God should play a role in how we
approach everyday problems? Why or why not?