The fact that you are reading this is a small miracle. In fact, I am amazed I have not gone quite insane. For the last three days I have been working on a computer that I rescued from the scrapheap, discarded because it crashed several dozen times a day and we couldn't find out what the hardware problem was. So rather than invest money trying to save an ancient machine, we stored it away and got something decent. So why am I using this burdened beast? Because my two computers, with all my life's work, were stolen when my house was ransacked three days ago.

It reminds me of the time, many years ago, when my PC system was struck by lightening - everything was completely fried. For six months we had no machine save for some ancient dinosaurs capable of doing little more than simple off-line wordprocessing. So for six months I wrote and wrote, coded everything for the internet, and when we could afford a new machine, we flooded our website with literally dozens of new resources.

I am reminded of a high school commencement speech given by the representative of a large corporation many years ago. Sitting before the students in their academic gowns, he said:

"If I could have one hope for you as you go out into the world, it would be this: I hope you fail. I hope that you fail at something that is important to you."

In many ways, it depends how bold and daring you are - whether you are just a follower or a leader, one of the sheeple or an innovator. As Frank Zappa once said:

"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible."

I have known my fair share of failures both in marriage and in the ministry, both high risk ventures. Given my life again, with the knowledge and experience that I have now, I would certainly have done things differently. Wouldn't we all? It is not a nice experience having the carpet ripped from under your feet and being forced onto your knees on the floor but it is usually the only way to start before getting up again. This is one such time for me, in more ways than one.

But if, as the Bible seems to plainly teach, failure is a part of maturing we ought perhaps not to judge it so harshly. For I guarantee that every single one of us has failed in something and also more than once. Many of the songs of Israel were born in failure. In his desperation, David cried:

"As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O Elohim (God)" (Ps.42:1, NKJV).

"A recurring story of the Bible is that mountains of faith rise from the valleys of failure. Before discovering the high ground we are looking for, we may need to see the failure of the dreams we hold in our hearts and trust instead in the love, wisdom and guidance of our Elohim (God)" (op.cit.)

Endnotes