The Church Of The Holy Rood -- Wool, Dorset, U.K.
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The Church Of The Holy Rood -- Wool, Dorset, U.K.
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Success or failure?
One of the contestants in the current BBC programme The Apprentice is quoted as saying: “Oh, I’ve never failed at anything except for a B in GCSE French.”
Success or failure in the tasks the contestants are set is only part of the show. How they defend themselves or shift the blame for failure onto someone else plays just as big a part in deciding whether they stay or whether Sir Alan Sugar points the finger at them and says “You’re fired!”
But failure is not necessarily a disaster. Steve Wozniak, founder of Apple computers, identified the best developments in his business as having come from failures. How then should we deal with failure?
I would suggest three things are needed: 1. We need to admit that we all make mistakes that lead to failures, with a range of consequences, e.g. loss, accidents, injuries and broken relationships, as well as dented pride. 2. Those who have made mistakes need to be willing to change to avoid making the same mistakes. 3. Those who have been hurt need to be willing to forgive and give the other party another chance.
This pattern is at the heart of the Christian faith: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins …” (1 John 1.8-9).
Following this pattern in our everyday life is not at all easy, but it does give us a way that enables us to deal successfully and constructively with our own and other people’s failures.
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