Learning From Failure

Due to the current economic climate, many Americans are experiencing failure for the first time. An increasing number of individuals are losing their jobs, their homes, and their savings. One’s initial reaction to failure is often to immediately reject it and remove themselves from it as quickly as possible. A recent article in Reader’s Digest shares the stories of several individuals who approached failures as opportunities to learn important lessons and to eventually find success. J. K. Rowling, one of the richest people in England due to the success of her Harry Potter books, was “as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain without being homeless”. Bob Williamson, a 62-year-old man from Florida, was a drug addict who had to sell a pint of blood for $7. He recently sold his 9th business, a software company, for $75 million. Randi Ketchum’s husband left her on the day she graduated from college. She had a 5-year-old and was pregnant with her second son. Though overcome with the loss and a massive amount of debt, Randi obtained a job as a kindergarten teacher and earned her master’s degree in education.
There were several other stories contained in this article and I will gladly help you find the article if you wish to read them. One thing I didn’t mention about Bob Williamson is that his faith in God helped him overcome adversity. Hit by a car, Bob was in the hospital for 3 months. He read the Bible, the only reading material available, and began to feel forgiven. He also learned that “God seems to show his strength and power through weakness”. Romans 8:35-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. This passage states, “in all these things we have victory through him who loved us”. We are to forget the things that are behind us and reach for things ahead. (Phil. 3:13)