Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

"For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again."¹

Failure is never final for the person who gets up one more time than s/he stumbles, falls, or gets knocked down. The crucial thing, whenever we fail or fall, is that, with God's help and the support of loving friends, we get up, go on, and learn from the experience.

In younger days I recall how I made a big error on a construction site I was working on. Fortunately I had a very understanding boss. I felt really bad but have never forgotten his encouraging words. He said, "Dick, the person who never made a mistake never made anything!" Good advice for all of us who have failed and made mistakes.

I trust the following poem is as encouraging for you as it has been for me:

   I would rather stumble a thousand times
   Attempting to reach a goal,
   Than to sit in a crowd
   In my weather-proof shroud,
   A shriveled and self-satisfied soul
   I would rather be doing and daring
   All of my error-filled days,
   Than watching, and waiting, and dying,
   Smug in my perfect ways.
   I would rather wonder and blunder,
   Stumbling blindly ahead,
   Than for safety's sake
   Lest I make a mistake,
   Be sure, be safe, be dead.²
                        â€" Author Unknown

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to always get up when I fail, fall, or get knocked down. Help me not to beat myself up or blame others for my failures, but accept your forgiveness, forgive myself, learn from my mistakes, and go on to bigger and better things. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name."

1. Proverbs 24:16 (NIV).
2. See Words of Inspiration at: http://www.actsweb.org/wordsofinspiration/attempt_goal.php.

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