Just Stop and Think... Just not about Failure.

Failure: lack of success; the omission of expected or required.

That is the dictionary definition of the word. Being a failure...well, isn't anything anyone aspires to be. Although, many of us feel we meet the requirements to be a failure. I know I do sometimes. The truth is, we are going to fail. There is no way around it. We are humans, and that is what humans do. We fail. The great thing about it though, is we don't have to give up. God will help us through our failures. It just gives us another way to get back up, and try something new. Attempt a new approach. The outcome could quite possibly come out better than before.

"At least there is hope for a tree. If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail" (Job 14:7, NIV).

There is something encouraging about being the child of the God of this universe. Wanna know why? Because he has a plan. He has plan for you. He has a plan for me. He even has a plan for the guy who is homeless, with no where to go.

Romans 8:28. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (NIV).

God will provide for us. He will provide if we follow and trust in Him. He won't leave us stranded to deal with our own failures. He is there with us, every step of the way. Instead of cursing and becoming frustrated with God, wondering how he could let such failures happen in his life, try a different approach. Try looking for the positives. What could be a good result of this failure? Keep in mind, if you fail, you are in good company.

~ Beethoven's music teacher once told him that he was a hopeless composer.

· Abraham Lincoln campaigned for a seat in the Illinois General Assembly and failed. He then opened a general store which failed after only a few months.

· Walt Disney was fired by the editor of a newspaper for lacking creativity.

· The Ford Motor Company was Henry Ford's third business. The first two didn't work out.

· A teacher told Thomas Edison that he was too stupid to learn anything.

· Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times.

Each of these people have gone down in history--not for their failures--but for their successes. They are considered great for one reason or another. Just because you have failed in one thing, doesn't mean you won't succeed later, or maybe in another area. I know for me, I am awful at math, but I succeed in Sign Language. The truth is, I recognize that God did not give me great skills in everything this life has to offer. For the most part, I am okay with that.

Exodus 20:17, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor,"

Don't covet what someone else has. You have your very own plan designed by God himself and it's better than what you think. If everyone was great at everything, then how could you have the opportunity to serve and help others? I think it would limit that. We would no longer have skilled athletes and young athletes look up to. We wouldn't need to give out the Nobel Prize anymore, or awards in general. Everyone would be just as good, and there wouldn't be a higher standard to achieve. I say all that to say this, (even though I struggle with it at times) accept your strengths and your weaknesses; your failures and successes. They happen for a reason! God would not leave you stranded to go through this life alone! He has that great plan already set out for you, and so if you fail at something, just remember, there is something else God has in store for you, and your first attempt wasn't it.

I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for (Jer. 29:11, GNT).

If you are struggling with failures or not getting what you expect, bring it to God in prayer. He wants to hear from you and know how you are doing (even though he knows it already).

Philippians 4:6-7 tells us:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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So, this blog is set up in 2 sections. The first part is my actual devotion for the day. The second is what I've been reading or learned about in the book Crazy Love. By the way, if you haven't read that book, i HIGHLY encourage you to do so. It's a great book, and I'm only one chapter in. If we are friends on facebook, I highly encourage you to look at the video I posted today (3/2/11). It's called Just Stop and Think. It is a 15 minute video that is truly phenomenal. So, this last portion will be about my thoughts on that video.

First of all, Francis Chan has a remarkable way to putting things into perspective for me. It helped me to realize that I need to just stop what I'm doing and actually think about where I am. It's crazy to think that the world exists in a pretty harmonious state. How when the sun begins to set, it can leave the most amazing colors in the sky. The major contrasts in color from the green blades of grass, to the hundreds of different blues found in the ocean, to the assortments in colors of the flowers. How the world is the perfect distance away from our sun, to allow life to form and live. I mean, those are just a fraction of the amazing things God has done for us. Chan says to even think about our bodies. The human body is magnificent! It is truly awesome in how everyone works together and how complex it is. Think about it. Think about everything natural in this world and how it works with its surroundings. How beautiful and majestic everything is. And to think... people think this all formed by accident? There's no way.

The Bible says you can't experience life and see everything here and not know that there is a God. it says we don't have an excuse in not knowing God is here. He is everywhere! In anything and everything we see, He is there. How can you NOT see it?

A lot of people look at Christians and notice all their rules. What they aren't allowed to do: curse, sexual impurities, drugs, drinking, etc. Those tend to be the most popular forbidden items that people see. The truth is--and i am a firm believer of this--that God gives us these laws for a reason. Think about the commandments: Thou Shalt Not Kill, and others just like it. Do you think God gave us these commands to hinder our ability to experience life? Of course not! Life would be better if we didn't run around killing everyone. That isn't our purpose here. The same goes for the other commandments, too. They are here so that we can experience the most out of life.

Here's an analogy I heard once that put it into perspective for me:

Imagine some deer. We give them a huge chunk of land, everything they will ever want or need. All the food, water, etc is provided. However, there is a boundary on where they can go, and it's on the edge of the forest. Once they past the boundary, they are in harms way and are no longer safe. Well, the deer enjoy their piece of paradise until they get too curious and want to know whats beyond the forest line, so they decide to cross it into the "forbidden areas." Well, past those boundaries is a road. The deer didn't know that cars were dangerous or how they could hurt them, and were killed.

Although the example can be a little childish, I think it hits the major points. God gives us rules for a reason. He wants us to live a great, enjoyable life. He knows the harmful things found in the world and wants to protect us from them. These rules are not a hindrance from enjoying life. They are helpful in enjoying the right kinds of things, and the things God provided for us.

That is just a SMALL snippet of information found on Francis Chan's video. So watch it! It will enlighten your aspect on life in so many ways that I can't.

Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRi4VwcrYmA

Just remember: God loves you. He has a plan for you. Don't be discouraged by your failures, it just means there is something greater out there, but it isn't your time yet for it. God has the perfect timing. I, personally, am happy to remember that God loves me and his plans are better than my own. Mine tend to fail or don't get me the happiness I think I'll achieve. So from now on, I need to learn to trust his ways and his timing. It will be far superior to my plans any day.

Until my next post...