There IS holiness in failure.

It is often said that death and taxes are the only certainties in this life. While that statement isn't wrong, it is incomplete. The only things that are truly certain in life are death, taxes, and failure. We encounter failure every day we get out of bed—sometimes even before our feet hit the floor. We are inherently creatures of failure. Yet, it is in the crucible of failure that God refines us, reshapes us, and molds us into a creation a little bit closer to the one He intended us to be.

In Romans 5:3-5, Paul instructs us to rejoice in our sufferings. Similarly, James 1:2-4 tells us to count it all joy when we face trials. We often interpret this to mean we will face difficult times and challenges—and yes, we will! When we persevere, we gain endurance, character, and hope. We will be more mature and complete. The Scriptures don't ask us to merely endure these challenges or wait them out; rather, we are told to rejoice and delight in them. While we understand that tests and trials help shape us into who we could and should be, if we’re honest, we know that most of our trials and sufferings stem from a single source - ourselves.

Failure can be broken down into two main types:

1) Failing to meet our own standards - We constantly pursue our own dreams, goals, and desires—some grand and distant, others small and immediate. For example, we might plan to go to the gym early, only to hit the snooze button and fall back asleep. Enough instances of that become a habit, and enough habits can lead us to abandon those bigger dreams. We set a standard for ourselves, yet we don’t live up to it; we know we were capable of something, but fail to achieve it.

 2) Failing to meet God’s standard - Similarly—and far more significantly—God has set His perfect standard for us in the Bible, and every day we fall short. We miss the mark. We sin. As Romans 3:23 reminds us, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. Death and taxes. Failure and sin. But this doesn't have to be the end of our story.

When we fail to accomplish our goals and dreams, we feel we are missing out on something great. When we sin, we know we are missing out on something that is the biggest and greatest. Ephesians 2:10 declares that we are God’s workmanship, placed on this earth to accomplish tasks that He prepared for us long before we were born. This is an awesome reality—beyond our comprehension that the God of the universe, who spoke everything into existence from nothing, has chosen to include us in His story. Our failure, therefore, is part of that story – a device God uses to draw us into His fold and into His embrace.

Psalm 139:14 says we are “fearfully and wonderfully made”. “Wonderfully” makes immediate sense: we are capable of incredible things. “Fearfully,” however, requires context. Another translation is, “I praise you because I am an awesome wonder”. This “fear” does not mean God was afraid, but rather that He knew we were the ones through whom He would demonstrate His glory. We are the only creations made in His image. The God who created the stars, mountains, and oceans made us an awesome wonder, capable of accomplishing things we cannot yet imagine. There was a reverence and respect in the knowledge that of everything God made, we were His crowning achievement—you and me. Then sin entered the world and spoiled that perfect creation, turning of us into failures. But our God cannot and will not fail.

God alone can set a standard of perfection because He alone is perfect. Knowing that we could not live up to that perfect standard, He created a way for us to be reconciled and redeemed. He sent His Son, Jesus, who lived a perfect life, died an undeserved death, and rose from the grave so that our sins might be washed away and we might be made new. Those of us who place our faith and trust in that reality are no longer failures. Yes, we remain sinners, but we are not failures. We share in His victory—a victory that conquers all: sin, failure, disappointment, discouragement, mistakes, and death. When we surrender our life to Him, He takes what is wholly imperfect and redeems us into something new and holy. The only source of redemption for our past mistakes and failures is THE CROSS. No matter how great the sin, how public the failure, or how devastating the mistake, our God is continually forgiving us and making all things new.

There is holiness in failure. When we submit and surrender our failure to Him, it allows us to experience His grace, mercy, love, and glory. One day, when we see Jesus face to face, we will experience that glory in all its fullness and weight. In that moment, all our failures will vanish, and all that will remain is His perfection. Therefore, when you fail, take heart. This is simply an opportunity to run to Almighty God and ask Him to make you whole and new. Then as Jesus instructed, go and sin no more. Do not allow your sins and failures to defeat, consume, or become your identity. Instead, stand in the victory of Jesus, knowing that you have been redeemed. One day, you will share in ultimate victory.

Your failure is temporary. His victory is everlasting.