It is the beginning of the new year. There is excitement in the air as we contemplate all of the new things we plan to embrace in the new year.
Along with many of these new beginnings will be many failures. I have heard that most new year’s resolutions fall by the wayside within the first two weeks of the new year!
A quick Google search reveals that on average, entrepreneurs experience 3.8 failures before final success. Often the only attribute that separates the heroes from the zeroes is persistence. (reference).
We also find that James Dyson, founder of the Dyson, created 5,126 failed prototypes of his vacuum cleaner before succeeding.
We will all face decisions this year, the question is how we handle the outcome. It is easy to celebrate the “wins”, but not so easy to face the times when we seem to go wrong.
Think about Moses. He was given a mandate by God to go talk to Pharaoh to have him release the Israelites. Many of us would have gone in thinking that one request was all we needed, yet Moses continued to see failure until God changed Pharaoh’s heart.
The disciples and Paul faced many obstacles as they followed God and shared about Jesus. Have you ever wondered how they measured success?
The point that I want to make is that what we see as “success” is not always what God has in mind. There will be times when are following God’s will that things may not go as we had planned, or thought that they might. We also have to factor in human error. If you believe that God is leading you to do something special, or even if you believe that you need to do something different personally, then you can expect some failure before you find success.
As we endeavor to do new things, may we remember the words of Paul as he wrote to the Galatians (6:9), “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up” (CSB)
I look forward to hearing testimonies throughout the year of how you persevered, how you worked through and learned from the failures, and how God has used you to further His Kingdom.
May you see God’s blessing abundantly this new year.
