Now maybe I’m a weirdo, but I believe there is some beauty in failure. I say that because it takes me back to humility. It shows my brokenness. Failure exposes the weakness in my character, shows me that my insight is dim, and displays my shallow wisdom. Failure asks me for reflection and requires my feedback. Failure demands evaluation. Failure is patient for a response. Failure just may be the best teacher.

I have a good friend who has experienced much pain in life - much from others and some from his own reactions and poor choices. Thankfully he’s very tenacious. He’s learned much and has decided not to give up. In some ways his progress is heroic. I’ve watched him, and walked with him for the last ten years. I’ve seen him bury his fiancé, support an alcoholic family member that no one else would, and fight his own demons and trials. We’ve decided that there is good pain and bad pain. Good pain is when a person squeezes all the truth out of pain so he or she doesn’t have to continually experience it. Bad pain is when pain continually comes, yet that person still refuses to change. That kind of pain, like the song writer says, is like “living in last night’s day dream.” That’s a dark season.

A mentor of mine reminds me from time to time, that “nothing changes until something changes.” And about the time I was ready to say, “DUH!” He continued… “Nothing changes until something changes, and nothing changes until a decision is made.” I’m deciding that my failures will not defeat me, but instead I will use them as learning stations in my life to help me avoid unnecessary pain in the future. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?

Pastor Denver