“Failure is not the opposite of success, it is part of success, yes a failure is not a loss, it is a gain. You learn. You change. You grow.” Francis Chan
That Was Really Ugly…
I can’t even count the number of times I have missed the mark. We are human beings and sometimes we just miss the mark at times. Something may be off when we get up and we follow after our feelings, instead of connecting with God, and letting His Holy Spirit lead us. Really, just like in golf, we can miss the mark by the slightest wrong move. Like picking up your head… hmmmm that makes for a really ugly drive. I usually do that on the first hole. It is kind of like my curse hole because I try to do it in my own strength because I am coming in cold and haven’t practiced at the driving range. Things happen… We also can misalign our shoulders, our feet and our aim, and end up taking a lot of dirt with us on our iron shot and not going very far, missing the mark of that par because of a bad shot.
Don’t Flame Out
Many times God has instructed us not to lean into our own understanding but to look to Him to navigate us with His wisdom. He has the whole picture, we do not. God sees so much more than we could ever see and knows so much more than we could ever wrap our mind around. He is trustworthy in that way of leading us with the best of the best. If we seek His kingdom first, before we kindle our own fire and walk by the light of a man made fire that will flame out, we will not miss the mark.
Who among you has true fear and reverence of Yahweh ? Who of you listens to the voice of his servant? Are any of you groping in the dark without light? Trust in the faithful name of Yahweh and rely on your God. But if you presume to light your own torch, you are playing with fire. So go ahead, walk in the light of your own fires and the sparks you have kindled. But I can promise you this: it will take you down into torment! Isaiah 50:10-11
Golf Teaching Moments
I was thinking about not missing the mark when I was golfing the other day, and I missed a par by one stroke because I was casual about the putt and did not focus and I missed it. I was frustrated with myself. But I feel like these are really good teaching moments for me. When I miss the mark, I am still so very loved and God does a “course correction” gives me a little bit more wisdom to help me next time to not miss the mark. He loves me that much that He is so willing to let me fail, so I can learn the best lesson, the wisdom that leads me to change. Just like God says No sometimes for the greater YES to happen in our lives, God also lets us miss the par in life, to teach us a better lesson, to change it up in our lives. I am okay with that because it lessens my frustrations and I use the wisdom I learned to make a par next time!!
“It is better to make a thousand failures than to be too cowardly to ever undertake anything.” Clovis G. Chappell “Sometimes before we even fail, because of anxious thoughts we feel like failures. We think what if it doesn’t work, what if God doesn’t answer or help us. We must trust in the Lord.” Unknown Author
Our enemies have no reason to gloat over us. We have fallen, but we will rise again. We are in darkness now, but the Lord will give us light. Micah 7:8
Attitude Check!
Missing the mark, missing the par are things that happen in this life! It is okay. Just get up and try again. Just like with golfing. If I really mess up on the hole, I have another hole right behind it to redeem myself, to realign my thoughts, my stroke and remember the right things to do. We can’t let a bad hole in golf dictate our day or give us a bad attitude, or we will just get worse and not better. Even if we get off course and find ourselves in the weeds of life, God is with us. God will navigate us out of the weeds and bring us to the way to life, peace and truth. Listen Up To This 1 Minute Encouragement Video
Hold on to loyal love and don’t let go, and be faithful to all that you’ve been taught. Let your life be shaped by integrity, with truth written upon your heart. Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. Proverbs 3:3,5-6
Course Correction
I think the best thing to do is when you miss the mark on something, is to get back up right away and reconnect with God, wholly-holy align your life with His. God does not condemn us or forsake us because we mess up. God is right there with us to encourage us, course correct us and get us back on the move with Him. I love that about God. I feel like I have room to grow that if I do miss the mark, I can get back up and start again, and He is right there to cheer me on, teach me and be my navigator.
God helps those who are in trouble; He lifts those who have fallen. Psalm 145:15
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