Sometimes failure is the result of a particular sin in our lives. Other times, failure has nothing to do with sin. In either case, our failures present another obstacle when it comes to trusting Jesus, especially when we feel we have failed many times. I have certainly failed many times in my life.

As an athlete, I let my team down. As writer, I have had manuscripts rejected by multiple publishers. As a student, I had to drop Latin. I’ve failed to raise financial support as a missionary. As a single man who has never married, I’ve failed in some of my dating relationships.

Have you ever felt like a failure? Maybe it was an unsuccessful career, a botched marriage, or a stupid mistake that ruined a friendship. Feeling like a complete failure can be a lonely experience.

One reason that I trust the Bible is that it does not hide the deficiencies of its heroes. In the Bible we see that

• Abraham, the “friend of God,” lied to save his own life.

• King David, the “man after God’s heart,” committed adultery with a good man’s wife and then murdered him to cover the evidence.

• Simon Peter, one of Jesus’ three closest disciples, openly denied his Master three times, swearing that he “never knew the man.”

Thankfully human failure is not the end of the story. In each of these cases, God showed His amazing grace, and these flawed human beings continued on to live productive lives of service to the Lord. In my own life, God has continued to bring success and favor despite my failures. Even though I was denied by publishers in the past, I’ve received multiple offers from publishing companies recently.

The Lord has also provided an abundance of ministry opportunities, and my finances are coming back into order. Even though my last relationship didn’t work out, I’ve grown as a godly man who will be ready to lead more wisely in my next relationship. Most importantly, I believe God has been drawing me closer to him during the past year. If God can change me, there’s hope for you!

If we submit ourselves to God with sincere humility, God will redeem our failures so that we can be better prepared for the Lord’s service.

History is full of the stories of men and women who failed but did not allow their failure to be fatal. Instead, they allowed their shortcomings to become opportunities for learning, improvement, and character growth. Consider these true accounts:

• In an effort to generate electric current, an aspiring inventor got two cats, attached a wire to their legs, and applied friction to their backs by rubbing them. The experiment was a great failure. The cats refused to cooperate and took to spitting and clawing before they ran off. The telegraph line had to be temporarily abandoned. However, the failure of this experiment did not discourage young Thomas Edison.[i}
• A writer thought his novel was worth publishing. He was rejected by 28 agents and editors before finally finding a publisher for his first novel. And of his first printing of 5,000 copies, he purchased 1,000 himself and peddled them from the trunk of his car. John Grisham, however, was not derailed by failures. Today he is one of the most successful novelists, with more than 60 million books in print in 31 languages.
• In a Nike TV commercial a retired basketball player reflected back on his career.

           "I've missed 9,000 shots in my career...

           "I've lost almost 300 games...

           "26 times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot...and missed.

           "I've failed over and over again in my life...

      But then, Michael Jordan added, "...and that is precisely why I succeed.[ii]

No matter how many times you have failed, you can still trust Jesus. God is a God of great patience; he is quick to forgive, and can enable you to add "another chapter" to your life story--a successful chapter.