In
your life, when has God used one of your weaknesses or failures to
help someone else? (Serendipity Bible 10th Anniversary
Edition, p.373).
The
above question points to a truth that is undeniable – weaknesses
and failures frequently have redemptive value. They are often
redemptive both to oneself and to others. We can see that one value
of novels and other fiction is that in them are dysfunctional
characters whose very flaws give us greater insight into our own
lives. Let us consider some of the factors involved in redemptive
weakness and failure.
First,
failures or weaknesses can have tremendous influence over where we
find ourselves. For example, if I were totally successful I might
find myself in Hollywood as a movie star. But let us say that does
not happen and I find myself in my humble hometown far removed from
glitter or fortune. Place plays a huge role in the people I meet, the
things I do, and the life I lead. For example, since I did not end up
in Hollywood, I married a hometown girl; I found a job locally and
daily interacted with neighbors, co-workers and customers. It is
obvious that the nexus of life I construct—the people I meet and
greet (even the family I help create)—is decisively influenced by
locale. If I “bloom where I'm planted” I can have far-reaching
positive impact on others—friends, family, co-workers, even
strangers. Thus because of weaknesses or failures, important fresh
opportunities abound—even if (in an extreme case) my weaknesses
were to eventually land me in a penal institution.
After
experiencing a weakness or failure, we can learn humility. It is a
great advantage to overcome false pride, and pride based on
ignorance. Likewise, it can be a tremendous boon to come
face-to-face with reality. Reassessment of talents based on our true
strengths often becomes possible only after flights of fancy have
nose-dived and crashed to the ground.
Weaknesses
and failures can testify to unusually big dreams and strong
ambitions. Even if dreams do not materialize exactly as planned (and
are in this sense a failure), they can nevertheless have positive
impact. Many people go to school and get an education based on dreams
that will never be realized. Nevertheless because of those dreams
they will have achieved learning, perspectives, and experiences they
would never have otherwise achieved. In this sense, the failure
represented by unfulfilled dreams can result in long-term,
substantial success.
A
significant benefit of having failures and weaknesses is that it is
an entrée to enhanced accessibility. Since virtually everyone is
only too well aware of their own weaknesses and failures, it is
vastly reassuring to find someone willing to acknowledge his own. We
then immediately feel profoundly relieved and experience a sense of
freedom. To see someone “bent but not defeated” gives us
encouragement and brings about almost reflexive feelings of
friendship and goodwill. We finally have found someone who shares
our own often repressed and embarrassing experiences. This can help
us to fully accept our own failures and perhaps for the first time
cultivate an attitude that allows us to learn from them and fully
overcome them.
In
sum, failures and weaknesses ironically present us with great
opportunities. They have within them the seeds of redemption for
ourselves and others.
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