Baby Steps

Failure

This word can be terrifying to some people, but to others it is inviting.  I see two categories of people when it comes to failure:  Those that run from the risk, and those that run toward the challenge. 

As a fellow people pleasure, if failure comes across the screen in my life, I run and hide and try not to let anyone see that I failed.  I keep it secure in my own heart and mourn the loss myself.  However, I envy the people that stare it in the face and say "I'll prove that wrong." 

I am reading a devotional with a couple girls, and this week's talk about trusting God focuses on trusting Him through our failures.  I have read about how God uses failures for His glory, but I also have read about how we need to keep pushing through even when we don't get it the first time.  I fail once, I'd give up and think "Oh I wasn't supposed to do that" and I'd be done.  Sometimes, yes.  God does keep things from happening in our lives to keep us safe, but how do we know the difference?  How do we know when God is saying "no" in our failures and when God is saying "yes?" 

In short...check your heart. 

If your motives are on Pride, Rebellion, Disobedience...etc, it's not from God. 

If your motives are on Justice, Love, Kindness, Patience...etc, it's honoring to God and He encourages us to persevere. 

I could speak more on that another time...but this post is about taking the baby steps to overcome the fear of failure.  And by baby steps, I mean...let's look directly at baby steps. 

If you have kids, you can relate to this.  If you've watch toddlers walk, you can relate to this.  If you ever once was a baby learning to walk, you can relate to this (Okay, I got everyone) 

As babies grow to toddlers, they are very curious and fearless.  They seem to get into everything once they know how to move around enough.  They are ambitious.  It wouldn't even dawn on them that falling on their butts is considered a failure.  I've seen many kids fall and get right back up to keep moving.  I have also seen other kids fall, cry, but get back up and try again.  I've never seen a kid fall on his/her butt once to sit there and swear to never try again.  Eventually, they learn to walk. 

These kids are not thinking "What if I fail?"  They are thinking "I want that!  I'm going to try my best and get it!"  If I were a toddler in this big world, I'd be sitting on the floor so many times.  I would need to be physically picked up by a parent or friend to get back on my feet and try again.  I waited for my observers to say "Go ahead Kat, try again."  And don't get me wrong, we need that.  Friends are there to pick us up and encourage us toward the finishing goal.  My Heavenly Father is there to pick me up.  However, there are many times that failure is such a scare to me that even with encouragement I sit idle.  I don't want to be the kid that waits until my peers tell me to move.  I want to be that kid that sees something amazing and goes for it!  Perseveres for it!  Fights for it!  If I fall on my butt and the world see it, I want to get back up and try again. 

Dear Lord, I pray that my fear of this world would begin to diminish.  I ask that you would put blinders on my soul to where I see the goal and fight for it without any fear of what others think around me.  I pray that I would be focused on you and not the waves.  Show me more and more through your eyes what is worth the risk, and I pray that your plans would succeed in me.  I pray for faith like the toddlers in my life.  Help me reflect this.  Amen. 

Let's take baby steps again!  I love you all!