Saturday, October 17, 2015

"Successful Failing"

            We continue our exploration of “Christian Leadership” this Sunday, October 18th, by focusing on how good leaders think about failure. 

            Failure is an integral part of life.  Regardless of how hard we try; regardless of how smart we are; regardless of how well prepared we are, all of us experience failures throughout our lives.  And yet, even though it is inevitable, most of us try to avoid failure as much as possible. 

            Failure can be a double-edged sword.  On the one hand, failure can be very negative.  Afterall, failure frequently comes with dire consequences that we would prefer to avoid.  Even worse is the fear of failure.  Many people allow their fear of failure to grow and grow, until it takes over their lives.  An unchecked fear of failure can become paralyzing.  We can become so dominated by this fear that we are afraid to step out and try something new.  We become so afraid that we are going to fail that we never take a chance; never make an investment; or never seek to grow.  We become imprisoned by our own fears of failure.

            On the other hand, failure can be very positive.  Sometimes we can learn and grow from our failures.  There is a story about Thomas Edison, which illustrates this point.  Edison and his associates were trying to develop a better battery.  After 9,000 attempts which all failed, one of his associates said, in frustration:  “Isn’t it a shame that with the tremendous amount of work … you haven’t been able to get any results?” 
Edison, with a smile on his face, replied:  “Results! Why, man, I have a gotten a lot of results!  I know several thousand things that won’t work!”[i]  We can learn, mature, and grow from our failures.  At the same time, the fear of failure can also be positive, if it motivates us to try our hardest at whatever we are doing.
The Apostle Peter provides an excellent case-study in how to rebound from failures, learn from these failures, and then succeed in the future.  The four gospels paint an interesting portrait of the type of person that Peter was.  He was a talkative extrovert, who was very positive and optimistic.  Peter was clearly a natural leader, who quickly became the spokesman for Jesus’ band of disciples.  Jesus, himself, came to recognize Peter’s leadership skills.  In Matthew 16, Jesus asks his disciples who they think he is.  Almost immediately, speaking for all of the disciples, Peter responds, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).  Jesus is impressed with Peter’s insight and he tells Peter that he will become a leader of the early Church (vv. 17-19).
Yet for all of his strengths, Peter also has a very serious personality flaw:  Peter is just incredibly impetuous; he is always putting his foot in his mouth.  This occurs several times in the gospels, but perhaps the most serious instance occurs on the night in which Jesus was betrayed, arrested, tried, and condemned to death.  During his last moments alone with his disciples and followers, Jesus tries to prepare them for what is about to happen.  Peter impetuously interrupts Jesus and says, “Lord…I will lay down my life for you.” 
With what I imagine was great sadness, Jesus rebukes Peter:  “Will you lay down your life for me?  Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows twice [at dawn], you will have denied me three times.”  (John 13:  36-38)  Of course, that is exactly what happened.  Later that night, while Jesus is being questioned by the authorities, Peter decides to warm himself by a nearby fire.  It is there that he does, indeed, deny Jesus in three separate conversations with different persons. 
That threefold denial of Jesus represents a major failure by Peter.  He fails as a leader of the disciples and other followers of Jesus.  Even worse, Peter fails to keep his promise of ultimate loyalty to Jesus. 
The next day, Jesus is crucified and buried, but three days later, on Easter morning, Jesus is resurrected.  Following his resurrection, the four gospels record many different instances in which the resurrected Christ appears to different followers.  One of those instances occurs at sunrise by the shores of the Sea of Tiberias in Galilee.  After spending the night fishing in their boats, the disciples see Jesus on the beach.  When they come ashore, they find that Jesus is preparing a breakfast of fish and bread for them.  Jesus invites them to come and eat.  Essentially Jesus and the disciples have an early morning fish fry on the beach.
When the breakfast is over, Jesus turns to Peter and confronts him about his threefold denial.  Jesus asks, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”  Can you imagine how utterly awful Peter must have felt?  Here he was, the acknowledged leader of the other disciples; a leadership role that Jesus had confirmed.  Yet, of all the disciples, Peter is the one who had denied Jesus over and over and over—three times. 
Peter replies, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
To which Jesus responds, “Feed my lambs.”
This exchange is repeated twice again, for a total of three times—corresponding to the three times that Peter had denied Christ.  Each time Peter affirms his love for Jesus, and each time Peter is told to care for Christ’s sheep. 
It is important to recognize that Jesus does not reject Peter because Peter had made this awful mistake.  Instead, Christ offers Peter an opportunity for atonement and healing.  Then, in calling upon Peter to care for his sheep, Jesus encourages Peter to resume the leadership role that he has had among the disciples.  (See John 21: 1-17)
After Christ’s Ascension into Heaven, Peter becomes one of the strong, visionary leaders of the early Church.  At Pentecost, when Christ’s followers receive the Holy Spirit, it is Peter who takes the lead by preaching the first Christian sermon, which results in the conversion of 3,000 people. (See Acts 2.)  Later, when the early Church leaders meet in Jerusalem to decide whether non-Jews can be included in the Church, Peter is one of the visionary leaders who argues persuasively for welcoming everyone who seeks to follow Christ.  (See Acts 15:  6-29.)
To summarize, Peter learned from his disastrous failure and grew to become a powerful, visionary leader in the early Church.
            As Christians, we believe that God has given each of us a unique portfolio of special gifts and talents, which we can use to make a real difference in the world and to establish and build God’s Kingdom.  We can make the world a better place by using our special gifts and talents at home, at work or school, and in our community.  Gathered together as the church, God calls us to this work of Kingdom building, collectively using our gifts and talents, through service and witness. 
Whether as individuals or collectively as the Church, God does not intend for us to be paralyzed by fear of failure.  Actually, doing nothing because we fear failure is evidence of an acute lack of faith.  God calls upon us—both as individuals and as churches—to step out in faith, trusting that God will provide.  Will we sometimes fail?  Of course, we will experience failures.  But, failure can become important building stones for success in the future.  We can learn and grow and mature from our failures.  This is just as true for churches as it is for individual persons.
Come, join us this Sunday (October 18th), as we continue our exploration of Christian leadership by learning about successful failing.  Christ United Methodist Church, is located at 4530 A Street in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Our classic worship services are at 8:30 and 11:00 on Sunday mornings. 
Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.



[i] Reported by the Quote Investigator.  See http://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/07/31/edison-lot-results/, downloaded 15 May 2014.

1 comment:

  1. This really speaks to me. I've struggled a lot with the fear of failure. Many of us need to be reminded that God would rather we try and fail than not try at all. I pray for the kind of faith that enables me to take risks.

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