March Madness | The Madness of Failure | T in the Road

The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up. But one disaster…overthrows the wicked. Proverbs 24:16

Rance touched the bars that separated him from his friend. “I’m sorry, man,” he said. Bo blinked with eyes still glazed from three days of hard partying. He mumbled his thanks through swollen lips. Rance shook his head. “I should be in jail too, I really blew it. I didn’t sleep much last night. Guilt was tearing me up. I’ve told you I’m a Christian, but I went to that party with you. I must seem like the biggest hypocrite.” Bo sighed. “No sweat, man. You left before the cops came. You were the smart one.” Rance shook his head. “Not smart. Humbled. I’m weaker than I thought I was. I’ve called my sponsor and I‘m getting back in a 12-step. I never want to go back to that life again. I’m determined to follow Christ now, whatever it costs me.”

We all fall. A crisis hits, someone wrongs us, temptation beckons and we fall for it. Failure is inevitable for every human being, but it doesn’t have to be a stop sign. Failure is like a T in the road. The direction we take at that T determines our future. Fools go to the left and find a giant roundabout. They repeat the same failures that will eventually destroy them. But godly people come to the T and take a sharp right. Their failures don’t define them but direct them. The difference between godly people and fools is in how they handle failure. The godly repent and are restored. Fools pretend remorse, but are soon back at their sin again, setting themselves up for disaster. No failure is wasted if we learn from it. That’s how the godly become wise.

Final Thought:  How have you handled your failures? Are they stop signs or only a T in the road?

Prayer: Lord, you know all my failures. I’m ashamed of them, but your Son’s blood covers them all. I don’t want to fail you again, but if I do, help me learn from it and never repeat it. May my failures become a path to wisdom. In Jesus’ name, Amen.