The Power of Being Thankful: 365 Devotions for Discovering the Strength of Gratitude (43 page)

No one sets out or wants to fail. But “failure” can be an important stepping-stone on the way to success. Failure certainly teaches us what not to do, which is often as important as knowing what we are to do! Making failure positive is all about how we look at it. We can learn to be thankful for our failures.

Many stories have circulated about how many times Thomas Edison failed before he invented the incandescent light bulb. I have heard he tried 700 times, 2,000 times, 6,000 times, and 10,000 times. No matter how many attempts he made, the number is staggering. But he never gave up. Edison is reported to have said that in all his efforts, he never failed—not once; he just had to go through many, many steps to get it right! It takes that kind of determination if you are really going to do anything worthwhile.

Father, I am thankful that You can take even the failures in my life and do something amazing with them. I believe in faith that You are doing something powerful in my life. I thank You in advance for what I’m learning, even in the tough times.

Giving in to a fear of failure will surely keep you from reaching your full potential in life. The good news is, you have no reason to fear failure. First of all, God is with you. And second, there is no such thing as failure if you simply refuse to quit.

Every time you are tempted to fear, be thankful for the times God has been with you and helped you in the past, and remember that He is with you now. He will not fail you or forsake you. He is your God; He will help you and hold you in His hand. He is hardening you to be able to face difficulties. He is building in you the strength, stability, and character you need to press through to the good things He has in store for you, and He is developing in you the courage to never give up.

God may allow us to go through difficulties in order to stretch and expand our capacity for faith. If you have great faith in God, you will be able to accomplish great things in your life.

Father, when I am in a situation where I begin to feel the fear of failure, I thank You that I don’t have to give in to that feeling. I choose to stand firm instead of run. Thank You that You are with me and I have nothing to fear.

As long as we are on what I call the “performance treadmill,” we will inevitably suffer with disappointment in ourselves. We will feel that we have not performed as expected. We did not get an A on our spiritual tests, we fell short of our goals, we lost our tempers, and now we are disappointed with ourselves, and we are sure that God is disappointed too.

The truth that we can be grateful for is that God already knew that we wouldn’t perform as expected when He chose to love us. And it is His love that is the basis for our relationship with Him, not our works. When our relationship with God is a solid foundation in our lives, we will be free to do the best we can, and not get stressed out about our imperfections. It’s time to get off the treadmill and run in the freedom of His grace.

I thank You, Father, that You are not disappointed with me. You knew what You were getting when You chose me. Thank You for choosing me anyway and for loving me perfectly in the midst of my imperfections.

Do you enjoy a peaceful atmosphere most of the time? Are you thankful and able to keep your peace during the storms of life? Are you at peace with God? Are you at peace with yourself? These are important questions. It is good to take a “peace inventory,” checking various areas of our lives to see if we need to make adjustments anywhere.

Jesus said He gave us His peace (see John 14:27). If He gives us His peace, we can gratefully walk in it and enjoy it. The minute we sense that we are losing our peace, we need to make a decision to calm down. I have found that the sooner I calm down, the easier it is to do so. If I allow myself to become extremely upset, it not only takes a toll on me emotionally, mentally, and physically, but it is more difficult to return to peace.

Jesus has provided peace for our lives, but we must appropriate it, not letting our hearts get troubled or afraid. We cannot just passively wait to feel peaceful. We are to pursue peace and refuse to live without it.

Father, thank You for the gift of peace that You have given me. As I do an inventory of my life, I choose to receive Your peace and live in it each day. I am so grateful that with Your help I can be at rest and enjoy Your peace.

When I am headed in the wrong direction, I thank God for the ability to turn around and go in the right direction. That is actually what true repentance is. It is not just a feeling of being sorry, but also a decision to turn and go in the right direction from now on.

We get into trouble through making a series of wrong decisions, and with God’s help, we will get our lives straightened out by a series of right decisions. It took more than a day to get into trouble, and it will take more than a day to get out.

Anyone who is ready and willing to make a real investment of time and right choices can see his or her life turn around for the better. God’s mercy is new every day. He is waiting to give you mercy, grace, favor, and help; all you have to do is be thankful for that mercy and say “yes” to whatever God is asking of you.

Thank You, Father, for the new starts You provide in my life. Help me realize when I do wrong, then help me repent and begin again. I am so grateful for Your mercies that are new every morning in my life.