Posted by Michael

I’ve asked my small group to come up with the one thing they know now, that they really wished someone had told them when they were fifteen years old.  The plan is to turn each lesson into a small group topic for discussion.  My lesson would be that failure is an option, and sometimes a very important one.  For years, I have obsessed, overworked, and at times avoided opportunities  in order to manage failure. I’ve always thought failure was the enemy,  that failure on my part would prove to the world just how incompetent I am and how little I know. With the Super Bowl looming in the near future, I am reminded that 31 of the 32 teams will fail this year in their quest to win it all. Many of the players from whichever team wins the big game will go home to failing marriages, failing financial plans, or failing friendships. Failure is inevitable, and as hard as it is to say, I’m grateful for that. Failure propels me into the grace of God. It reminds me that I was never created to do life alone. It reawakens my need for God’s forgiveness, His mercy, and His love. Failure isn’t fun, but our character development would stall without it. I would love feedback on what one thing you wish someone would have told you when you were fifteen!