CAN WE TURN OUR FAILERS TO SUCCESSES

Dr.Thomas.V.Thomas

We all want our life to be successful in every day. Some of the best-selling books are based on how to succeed in life. You won’t find a book on how to become a failure, because we already know how to do it. No one looks for failures, but contrariwise we desire more so, to tell others of great successes, and the good fortunes we have in this life. However, when we are faced with unanticipated failures, we become vulnerable from mere, disappointment, to degress into deep sadness, and possibly depression. We have a natural tendency to look to others, and even ourselves to blame, for each failure we experience. The bottom line is that we take pride in making something out of our lives, and that sense of accomplishment, which we can take pride in and lean on such for a sense of dignity. However, when we do fail, it can be a serious blow to our ego, dignity, and sense of well being, and remove all drive from within us to where  we may just feel like dying, or worse contemplate killing ourselves. Unfortunately, many have taken such a latter drastic measure and ended their lives. However, what is the answer to those who experience such sadness and depression? What would God want us to do, in such cases? Should we expect a life of roses, and bliss each day of our lives, with most of our desires coming to fruition, and nothing less? We are living in a world where we basically have two choices; to strive to be successful, or suffer greatly, in pain and agony. So to the unsuccessful man, he not only fails himself, and perhaps his family, but others who have been to any degree inspired by his efforts to succeed. So how should we approach this mystery called life with all of its misgivings it has to offer us?

Recently I read this story in the Trumpet magazine. Some years ago, it was proposed to send logs from Canada to New York, by a new method. The ingenious plan of Mr. Joggins was to bind great logs together by cables and iron girders and to tow the cargo as a raft. When the novel craft neared New York and success seemed assured, a terrible storm arose. In the fury of the tempest, the iron snapped like icicles and the angry waters scattered the logs far and wide. The chief of the Hydrographic Department at Washington heard of failure of the experiment, and at once send word to shipmasters the world over, urging them to watch carefully for these logs which he described; and to note the precise location of each in latitude and longitude and the time the observation was made.

Hundreds of captains, sailing over the waters of the earth, noted the logs, in the Atlantic Ocean, in the Mediterranean, in the South Seas-for in to all waters did these venturesome ones travel. Hundreds of reports were made covering a period of weeks and months. These observations were then carefully collected, systematized and tabulated, and discoveries were made as to the course of ocean currents that otherwise would have been impossible. The loss of the Joggins raft was not a real failure, for it led to one of the great discoveries in modern marine geography and navigation.

In our superior knowledge we are disposed to speak in a patronizing tone of the follies of the alchemists of old. But their failure to transmute the baser metals in to gold resulted in the birth of chemistry. They did not succeed in what they attempted, but they brought in to vogue the natural processes of sublimation, filtration, distillation, and crystallization; they invented the alembic, the retort, the sand-bath, the water-bath and other valuable instruments. To them is due the discovery of antimony, sulfuric ether and phosphorus, the cupellation of gold and silver, the determining of the properties of saltpeter and its use in gunpowder, and the discovery of distillation of essential oils. This was the success of failure, a wondrous process of Nature for the highest growth-a mighty lesson of comfort, strength, and encouragement if man would only realize and accept it.

Many of our failures can indeed become springboards, which can launch us to even greater heights of success, than, than we ever hoped in our dreams. Life is a successive unfolding combination of both of successes and failures. The God of creation, who cares for us, also knows how to even work through our failures. If we trust HIM, He will take us through our failure, for are told by His Word, that all things work together for good to them that love Him, and are called according to His purposes. Not all GOOD things, but all THINGS work together for good, which is a huge difference. Many assume that if something less than positive happens, they naturally conclude, that something is terribly wrong, and thus, may become sad, miserable, depressed. However, we must consider this; the same God who created us, is also our strength and refuge. We therefore, have good reason to remain calm, strong, and continue to keep our mind focused on Him, who said: “I am with you always”. Let us therefore, face the tempests with confidence and calmness trusting that the victory will be ours.