Faith Over Failure
Written by: April Mills
Failure doesn’t disqualify you; it defines your platform.
As I listened to Danny’s message from Sunday, the above statement stood out to me like a flashing neon sign. I knew I wanted to tie this into my devotion, but it felt like a wide blanket that could go in any direction. Danny gave such a compelling message that left me wondering how could I break it down and make it applicable on a personal level.
Parenthood.
What if your parenting failure defined your platform? If you have been a parent for any amount of time, then you know parenting mistakes will happen. It’s simply inevitable. Despite reading all the books, taking classes, and having the best intentions and mind set, failures happen. We are a flawed, imperfect people who do imperfect things. Some those mistakes are easily amended, and some leave a deep wound that can take years to heal.
Are you an angry parent, or a knee jerk reactor parent? Perhaps you are a disconnected parent, absent parent or an overly critical parent or a parent whose addiction heaped pain and suffering on your children. All these things can be classified as parenting failures, and have the potential to leave a legacy of shame, hurt, and rebellion in your children.
Your failure as a parent doesn’t disqualify you from the sacred task God has given you of the stewardship of your children. Jesus doesn’t want to cancel you from your child’s life; He wants to commission you. Repent, and turn from your old ways. Don’t stay in the old, comfortable habit of parenting. Don’t stay in that same pattern because it is your default response and comes easily to you. Challenge yourself to do the hard thing. Don’t listen to the enemy’s voice that whispers it’s too late, and that you can never change the course of your household. He is a liar, and he is defeated. If you believe Jesus rose from the dead and is alive and well today, then you can take the next step out of the boat. Take that same measure of faith, that believes the impossible, and apply it to your life.
Parenting is the most labor-intensive work you will ever put your hands toward. It is easy to become fatigue even on a good day. When you are experiencing personal difficulties as a parent, the temptation to give up and check out will come calling to you. Don’t give in, you must keep going. All hope may seem gone, and it may feel that this is how life will always be. I am sure Mary felt that way when she looked at the sealed tomb.
To echo the words we heard on Sunday, changing your life will change your child’s life. Let faith become your default. Let obedience became your certainty. The same spirit the moves then moves now, and will move in YOU. You are the move of God in your home. You are the representation of God’s grace and forgiveness in your child’s life. What message are you sending them? Make a good one, and make it one that spreads the message of hope out toward others. Let this be your legacy.