From the Pulpit: God gives us the power to preservere
By:
Pastor Merv Kramer, BV Baptist Church
Pastor Merv Kramer
Brandon Valley Baptist Church
We are nearing the end of summer sports with the champions being crowned. Anyone who has competed in sports knows the joy of being crowned a champion. But with every champion team there are several losers and sometimes that can be rather disappointing. However, one can learn the important truth that no failure is final if one can learn from it and build upon it.
That’s a dramatic lesson a speed skater by the name of Dan Jansen learned in the mid-1990’s when after losing the Olympic title several times he finally proved to become a champion. In his losses, the thought flashed through his mind, “Maybe it’s not meant to be.” The determined skater vowed within himself that he would not quit. He talked to his coach extensively and tried to learn as much as he could from his previous failures. That strategy proved to be the turning point for it resulted in eventually winning the gold.
Psychological studies suggest the preoccupation with success is less important than the place disappointment plays in the progress of a win or a career. Both the strengths and weaknesses of a person hinges on how they manage the inevitable disappointments of life – if they face them squarely and respond to them positively. Failure is a far more common experience than success. The ultimate tragedy in life is not failure, but to be unwilling to make changes when significant facts present themselves. As Dan Jansen discovered, the experience of failure is far less decisive in our lives than how we respond to it, what we learn from it and how we build from it.
Our personal faith plays a vital role in how we respond to our failures. It is important we entrust our failures and struggles to God and claim His power of beginning again. When we do, God opens a door, speaks the word we need, gives us a fresh possibility and renews in us the power to stay with it and not give up.
