Category: Devotional Thoughts

Righteous Risks

Overcoming the fear of failure

Cast your bread upon the waters,
for after many days you will find it again.
Give portions to seven, yes to eight,
for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain upon the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there will it lie.
Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

-Ecclesiastes 11:1-4

“I’m not really afraid of failure anymore.”

I spoke these words to a friend of mine while talking about our upcoming radio show.

The broadcast has the potential to bless thousands of young Filipinos.  It also has the potential to be a miserable failure–a complete waste of time, money and effort (not to mention a very public embarrassment).

There’s no way to know what will happen.  We won’t know for sure until we try.

I never would have attempted something like this five or ten years ago.  What has changed?  Well, slowly but surely, I’m learning:

I’m learning that anything worthwhile involves some level of risk.

I’m learning that great men and women took great risks to accomplish great things.

I’m learning that fear of failure is an emotional black hole—a deceitful trap to be avoided at all costs.

I’m learning that the regret of a missed opportunity lingers much longer than the temporary disappointment of failure.

Solomon made a wise observation:  if you try too hard to avoid risks, you’ll probably never do anything (I call this the “paralysis of analysis”).

This passage is not instructing us to live recklessly—God does not honor foolish choices.  Jesus quickly rebuked Satan when he suggested a nosedive from the temple roof (Matthew 4:5-7).

Solomon was instead speaking of calculated risks and probabilities:
Plant a seed, and some of them will produce crops.
Invest, and some of it will come back to you.
Stare at the clouds, and . . . well . . . you may notice some funny shapes, but don’t expect much else.

Remember this:  there are no risks in heaven—it is a place of complete safety, security, and joy.  This life is only chance we get to take risks and exercise our faith.

I’m learning my lesson—but what about you?
Is fear of failure keeping you from trying new things?
Are you too afraid to take risks?

Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.
-William Carey (father of the modern missionary movement)

Note:  This post is a few years old now so I should probably let you know how things turned out.  The radio show was not a failure.  Over time it was played in at least three different cities on Christian radio stations.

 

Trashed Trophies

“Fame is fleeting, but obscurity is forever.”
– Napoleon

I’m sure many of you have heard of Dr. James Dobson.  He’s the author of numerous books, the founder of Focus on the Family, and is one of the most well known evangelical leaders in America.  His ministry has blessed my life, and his thoughts have influenced my own writing.

I’ll never forget a story that goes back to Dobson’s college years:

As a college freshman, Dobson set his heart on winning his school’s tennis tournament.   He achieved that goal—twice.  A trophy inscribed with his name was put on display so that all could see what he had accomplished.  I imagine he proudly smiled every time we walked by that trophy case.

Years later, a friend sent the before-mentioned trophy to Dobson.  He had found it sitting in the school’s garbage bin.  The tennis tournament and its winner had been long forgotten.

Dobson often tells this story to students, concluding with this thought:  “Given enough time, life will trash your trophies.” 

How true this is!  Most of our achievements, no matter how great, will be quickly forgotten.

Paul used a similar analogy in his letter to the Corinthians:

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!  All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.
-1st Corinthians 9:24-25

As I’ve explained before, Paul was referring to the Isthmian games—similar to our modern-day Olympics.  Those who wanted to compete underwent intense physical training just to qualify as a contestant. The winner only received a pine wreath and a few moments of glory (I’m not sure which would be the first to fade).

Modern-day athletics, of course have come a long way since then.  We now live in a time of gold medals, television coverage, and multi-million dollar endorsements.  But these spoils, grandiose as they may be, are just as temporal as a pine wreath or a tennis trophy.

Paul contrasted such temporary rewards with the “eternal prize.”  For Paul, preaching the gospel and winning souls for Jesus was the only cause worth giving his life for.

I’m not trying to discourage you from achieving goals (athletic or otherwise).  But I do want to challenge you to live with an eternal perspective in mind.  Are you investing your life in temporary trophies or in timeless treasure?