The Glory of Failing Gloriously
“This starter is fourteen years old. You’ll be able to make bread and waffles and pancakes like a champ. Trust me. It’s easy.”
With those words of encouragement and a recycled butter container of fragrant goo, my friend’s dad patted me on the back and sent me on my way to embrace the world of sourdough. Mind you, time in the kitchen is therapeutic to my soul—and baking bread is actually a calming thing for a body and mind naturally given to overthink and overdo everything.
I soon learned that yeast is my trustworthy friend. Sourdough is fickle. And despite best efforts to serve beautiful loaves of bread served up with Irish butter and Acacia honey, I failed gloriously at transforming the starter into anything worth eating.
Failure has been my companion, not only in the kitchen but also in the day-to-day journey of life. For that, I am thankful.
The Goodness of Failing
While a resumé may tout success stories and social media posts may share encouragement and celebration—even stories like this one focus far more often on overcoming challenges and pursuing excellence—rarely are words offered up about the goodness of failing. But I’ve learned to embrace failure with the same grace in which I embrace glory-filled moments—there is indeed goodness to be found in failing.
As long as we’re learning and trying, we will fail. We will stumble, and we will rise, and we will try again. Psalm 37:24 reminds us, “Though they trip up, they won’t be thrown down, because the Lord holds their hand” (Common English Bible). Without failure, we’ll never know if there’s a better way. Given an opportunity, failure helps us reset our priorities and gives us clearer vision of what our purpose is.
When I first learned how to ride a bike, I thought I knew how to use the brakes properly. I quickly (and painfully) learned there was a better way to stop after tumbling over the handlebars when tapping on the front brake only. When failure helps us become more aware of our surroundings, we become responsive. We’ve all had a moment when we misjudge our value or abilities. Failure is a great teacher in learning our personal limitations and figuring out how to do better next time. Taking the next step after a misstep builds the muscles of resilience and character.
When we see failure as an active part of God’s grace and redemption in our lives and in the lives of our families, friends, coworkers, and neighbors, we then see the flesh-and-bone reality of Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (New International Version).
Living in a culture that lauds success, we can become terrified of anything but sure bets. When we view failure not as an enemy but as a natural part of growth, the strength we are given bolsters our courage to take risks and dream new dreams and encourage those dreams in others. One perfect loaf of bread doesn’t make us a baker (though it does look great on Instagram). One win does not equal a championship season. One great decision does not equate to wisdom. Failure tempers us and helps us set a better pace.
Failure not only builds our character and grows our wisdom, it creates common ground. We can honestly say, “I’ve been there too” when we are offering encouragement. Because of what failure has taught us, we are better equipped to help others focus a bit more clearly on the delicate tango of holding both hope and hurt.
Failure can even spark a new beginning for us when we take the time to reflect on what we’ve learned. Sometimes the beginnings are bold, like a new chapter in life. And sometimes the beginnings are subtle yet just as profound—a fresh perspective, a new dream, a different path.
One thing is certain: we are given the promise that the Lord is ever-faithful in the days that go well and in the days that fail gloriously. Philippians 1:6 provides such encouragement for us:
I am confident that the Creator, who has begun such a great work among you, will not stop in mid-design but will keep perfecting you until the day Jesus the Anointed, our Liberating King, returns to redeem the world.
The Voice
Failure teaches us, strengthens us, awakens us, and humbles us. It gives us wisdom and compassion. It opens our eyes and our hearts to the promise of better days. We can move forward with hope. And we can share that hope with others. That, indeed, is a glorious thing.
Meet Ronne Rock
Call her your spiritual aunty—the one who offers true and trustworthy encouragement to help you hold onto hope. Ronne Rock weaves that hope into everything she shares on page, stage, and at the table over a cup of something lovely. She travels globally to cultivate life-changing with Orphan Outreach. Ronne is a storyteller and speaker—offering road-tested wisdom about grace-filled leadership and discovering your God-crafted design and purpose. And as a teacher and mentor, Ronne offers writers and other creatives insight on how to safeguard your soul in a world that delights in demanding it from you. Her poignant stories are included in a number of anthologies, and she is the author of four books, including One Woman Can Change the World: Reclaiming Your God-Designed Influence and Impact Right Where You Are. An Oklahoma gal by birth, Ronne now lives in the Texas Hill Country with her family.
Learn more about Ronne by visiting her website or following her on Instagram.
Where to find her . . .
Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
