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Turning Failure Into Success :: Wednesday E-Devotion

I ran across this blog post during the day today, and it reminded me that I have so far to go and so much to learn.  We have gathered an excellent leadership team here at The Community Fellowship.  Our conversations last night and today remind me of how blessed we are and how much I need to listen (to God and to them).
 
In this post Michael Hyatt, President and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing, talks about taking our failures and using them to our advantage.  Let me summarize his main points and then give us a comment or two. (Read the full article for awesome insight.)
 
Acknowledge the failure. Success begins right here.  Get honest with yourself and with others.  Listen, when we acknowledge our failure, its power is taken away (that is good).
 
Take full responsibility. Blaming and feeling out of control are natural.  By taking responsibility we create a time to learn and move on.  Realize this is not an end but a beginning.
 
Mourn the failure. It is OK to feel bad about something you did, but you have to deal with it and move on.  Be real.  Get mad or sad if you must. 
 
Learn from the experience.  Don't just repeat the past, learn from it.  Experience makes us wiser and stronger.
 
Change your behavior.  If you keep doing the same thing, you will get the same result.  Change what needs to be changed and watch God lead you to success.
 
Enter whole-heartedly into the next project. Far too often we let our situations and our failures say we are no good.  Moving on with joy is essential
 
Hyatt closes with this, "Again, failure is inevitable if you are going to tackle significant goals. You have to learn to make it work for you. In doing so, you are planting the seeds of your eventual success."
 
Some wise words from a wise man.  Think about this.  The people who are the most successful have failed, maybe many times.  Our failures need to lead us to greater success but only if we use them the way God intended.
 
Proverbs 11:14 (nlt) --- Without wise leadership, a nation falls;there is safety in having many advisers.
 
Proverbs 15:22 (nlt) --- Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.
 
Proverbs 18:15 (nlt) --- Intelligent people are always ready to learn.  Their ears are open for knowledge.
 
Jeremiah 29:11 (nlt) --- For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
 
Hebrews 10:25 (nlt) --- And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
 
My point?  Listen to the people God has put around you and learn from everything, especially your mistakes.  God can and will turn our failures into our biggest success.  It is all for Him!

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