FAILURES & YOUR FUTURE

There is a lot of argument lately over who is the greatest basketball player of all time. People have been famously calling LeBron James the GOAT for the past few years. Some people argue that it’s actually Kareem Abdul-Jabaar — who is the highest scorer of all time. Some would even say Shaqueel O’Neil — before he starred in all those random commercials for Gold Bond. Seriously, how many products does he advertise for?

I don’t really have an opinion about the greatest basketball player of all time, but I know that a lot of people consider Micheal Jordan to be the true GOAT. I was a baby when he was in his prime, but his popularity carried well into my early teenage years. There were movies where he played basketball against aliens. You could find his jersey in every Walmart in the county. You could even go buy a car at the Micheal Jordan Chevrolet right down the road from my house. Micheal Jordan was a big deal and an amazing basketball player. Unquestionably, he will be remembered as one of the best of all time.

When you look at his surreal success, it is easy to assume that he was always winning games, dunking effortlessly, and scoring buzzer-beaters. Look at this quote from him:

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
– Micheal Jordan

He explains that his failure is what created his success. His failures formed him into the person he is today. Every missed shot, every lost game, and every let down transformed him into a larger-than-life celebrity. Failure is not the opposite of success. It is part of success.

The same is true for your life too. Jesus gives us the opportunity to improve on our failures.

TEXT: Phil 3:12-14 
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

This passage is a game-changer. Paul explains that he works towards his goal by “forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead.” This 2019, do not get stuck in the old ways of doing things that never worked out for you. Strive towards what God has for you.

I understand that it is easy to get stuck in your past.
Maybe things didn’t work out for you last year.
Maybe you made some big mistakes that really changed you.
Maybe you developed some bad habits that seem impossible to break.

Don’t let that stuff define you — let it refine you.
Let it shape you into a better person. Look back, learn from it, and move forward.

Your past is in the past, leave it there.

Remember this. Write this down on your mirror. Say it out loud every morning. Whatever you do, I want you to really reflect on this truth: Your history is not your destiny!
You will grow. You will learn. You will win in the end.

Think of any major setbacks of 2018, don’t get stuck feeling guilty or obsessing over what went wrong. Simply make the decision that you’re going to grow from it.  Your failures do not define you — Jesus does.