A lesson from a failure is fertilizer for a success.
There’s two unsavory words in today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. post.
“Lesson” and “Failure”.
When I think of the word “lesson”, I cringe. I don’t really like “lessons”. Why? Well, for one, it implies that I did something wrong. Or, another way to interpret it is that I was ignorant of something and needed to be brought up to speed. Either way, it’s sort of a “forced” learning that doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies.
But can a lesson be good? Absolutely! What about a lesson in CPR? There, you learn how to save someone’s life. That’s certainly a good thing.
The word “failure” is an easy one. Who likes that?
On the other hand, “fertilizer” is generally a good thing. It makes things grow. It rewards you for the hard work of planting. After all, who wants to do the work of planting and get nothing in return?
In today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. Bible verse, the psalmist is thanking God for the “lesson” of his affliction–which is the knowledge of God’s “precepts” aka His laws.
Are we very often thankful for lessons? In the case of the CPR example, we’d certainly be thankful if we saved someone’s life–not to mention the person whose life was saved.
Life is all about learning and growing. It’s a bland existence to go through life doing the same old thing in the same old way you’ve been doing it. From a spiritual perspective, it’s also dangerous to go through life doing the same old thing–especially if our old ways do not please God.
So, the Tiny Words. Big Life. takeaway is to rejoice in the shortcomings that lead to lessons. Let the fertilizer of change improve your life and your commitment to God.
Psalm 119 : 71
It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.