Fear of failure

Have you ever approached a rather significant moment in your life and suddenly been plagued by the thought “What if this fails?” or phrasing it more personally “What if I fail?” I have come to believe there is no shame in failure; even the most successful people have failed at rather significant times of their lives. Consider the following:

• Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft) dropped out of Harvard and his 1st business venture “Traf-O-Data” failed to get off the ground.
• Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because “He lacked imagination and had no good ideas” … can you imagine?
• Albert Einstein, considered a genius by most, did not speak until he was four, and did not write until seven causing teachers to label him “mentally handicapped.”
• Oprah Winfrey early in her career was fired from a job as a television reporter because she was “unfit for television”
• Jerry Seinfeld, his first time on stage as a comic had severe stage fright and froze. He ended up being jeered and booed off the stage
• Stephen Spielberg, the widely acclaimed motion picture director was denied admittance three times into the University of Southern California School of Film, Theatre, and Television. He eventually gained acceptance to another school only to drop out to become a director
• In 1954 Elvis Presley was fired by Jimmy Denny, the manager of the Grand Ole Opry after just one performance telling him, “You ain't goin' nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck”
• Michael Jordan, the man often lauded as the best basketball player of all time was actually cut from his high school basketball team. Luckily, Jordan didn't let this setback stop him from playing the game and he has stated, "I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

Did you catch what Jordan said? “I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed!”

There’s an interesting parable in Matthew 25 where Jesus tells the story of a man who would be traveling that trusted some of his “talents” to various servants. To one he gave five, to another two, and finally to one he gave one talent. When he returns the servants who’d been given five and two talents had invested them and returned even more to their master. But the one who had received one talent was afraid to fail so he buried the talent and returned to the master the one talent back. Jesus says the talent was taken from him and given to the others and he was cast away into outer darkness.

So here’s my point – when we refuse to try anything new, being paralyzed by fear, we are not living by faith. Faith, by the very nature of the word takes risks I believe. It is risky to love, yet we have faith that our spouse and children will love us back. It is risky to change jobs but we have faith the new company will take care of us and will prosper. Just about every area of our life requires us to take risks and live by faith.

Let me remind you of four simple truths that maybe will help you as you battle the fear of failing:

1. Everybody fails – The bible is filled with people who “failed” yet God loved and usedthem in spite of their failure. King David, a murder, adulterer, and liar repented and the Book of Acts calls him a “man after God’s own heart.”
2. Failure does not have to be the final – What if after being cut Michael Jordan decided to quit because he just wasn’t good enough to play basketball? What if Bill Gates decided he just didn’t have what it takes to cut it in the world of technology? What if Saul of Tarsus believed the lie that there was no way God would ever choose to use someone like him?
3. Look for the “benefits” of failure – the Lord used Peter’s three denials to teach him some things about the Father and His forgiveness so that when Peter preached at Pentecost he preached with power and passion!
4. Stop comparing yourself to others – Change your definition of success from being the best to rather doing your best.

So what is it you are afraid of failing at today? Marriage? Parenting? Your job? Remember that success is never final and failure is never fatal. If we had all the answers and could see into the future they wouldn’t call it “faith.”