Handling Failures in Life

Problems/stress/challenges in life just seems to be neverending. Just when you seem to have navigated around one, the next bigger one lurks somewhere around waiting to pounce on you. We all would wish that God could just snap his fingers and make all problems disappear and we could have a hinderance-free life... think again.

Life is never all about successes. In fact, the contradiction about life is that we grow and learn through tough times. Not that we crave for bad things to happen, but whenever it does hit us, if we learn to navigate through and rise up above it, we become stronger than before. If we can't, then we will forever be stuck there wallowing in defeat.

Let me share with you the 4 Keys to Victory over Failures:

1. Acknowledge your feelings. It is Ok to feel sad or unhappy whenever a crisis hit us. We are humans and there is a place where we need to acknowledge that feeling. Take note here. Feeling sad is different from eating worms or being depressed. Depression and worm-eating are outward manifested conditions of an unhealthy soul. So acknowledge the sadness. But don't just stop there....

2. Pause and reflect the lesson learnt. Pause and take a big picture snap shot at the whole situation that has happened. What are some areas that I can improve or better prepare on? It is like analyzing and taking stocks on how come you lost the battle. Now that's not all....

3. Decide to pick yourself up. Now this is the hardest part but yet the most critical. This is the tipping point of overcoming adversities, but yet once gone over, you life will br brighter than noonday. Friends and family can give you support and encouragement, but the key still lies from within us. As Christian, we can tap on the greater strength that has been give to us and that is GOD! Draw strength from His Word by claiming His promises and commands!

4. Make plans and move on. Stop standing there licking your sore wounds from the defeat. Having evaluated and risen up, it is time to move on. Strategize, plan and make preparations how you would tackle the next battle that comes along. It can be coming up with a 'realisitic' study schedule, or accountability steps with your leaders...etc Each battle comes with a different battle plan.

This is the promise of God for us:
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. - 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

Are we tapping our strength from it? Are we living out the word of God? Or do we just allow failures and challenges of life to sweep us away?