“There is a principle that surrounds failure: Failure is often the stepping stone to greater victory.”- Os Hillman
“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”- Henry Ford
Os Hillman concludes Chapter 9 of The Joseph Calling as he connects failure and our walk with God. He stresses we should never allow our past pain to steal God’s vision for our future. Yet, as Mr. Hillman’s friend Ford Taylor observes, “Change seldom occurs until the pain of staying the same exceeds the pain of change.”
In other words, Os states, motivation for real change sometimes involves getting to a deep level of pain and disappointment in life. Also, we want more than to simply change a habit. We need a transformational soul change.
Writing in his article “The Act of Thinking Personally,” Graham Cooke explains sin’s effect on our lives:
“When we resist God, contraction occurs; we get smaller in the spirit. But when we submit to the Spirit, an expansion happens. Our heart is enlarged as we submit to God’s hand. Our faith increases. We grow so rapidly that we push the enemy’s territory into itself. The space in which he works contracts. Suddenly, the enemy has no room to operate.”
Most importantly, often failure functions as God’s greatest tool for success in His kingdom. Once we learn the lessons of failure, our failures become our authority. While Satan defines our lives based on our past, God looks at our future to define us.
In conclusion, Os states that while the gospel is free, maturity costs us something. Although God gives us mountain-top visions, He works out those visions in the valley. As Mr. Hillman astutely notes, “Visions make leaders passionate; thorns keep them authentic.”
Today’s question: How has failure functioned as the stepping stone to greater victory for you? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Without reflection – creating unintended consequences”
