What If I Fail?
Peace in Every Place: Week 2
What If I Fail?
I pressed send again. I put my heart on the page of paper and I put it out there for people to see and critique. The goal was acceptance and approval.
When rejection comes from people who seem to know what they are doing, it gives you a sense of failure and frustration.
I followed all the rules and crossed every t, but my work wasn’t good enough.
Have you ever put yourself out there?
You go out on a limb thinking you’re doing the right thing and then, snap! The limb comes crashing down and your spitting dirt from your mouth before you know what happened.
We all fail. Sometimes it’s in sinful ways like pride, or lust, or greed. Other times it’s in personal ways like not making the cut, or not getting the dream job you thought was God’s miraculous plan.
Let’s all just have a group hug and admit it, “No one succeeds every time.”
How do we live in peace when we fail or feel rejected?
We must remember that no matter what happens in our lives, peace is non-negotiable. So many of us hold peace in our hands like something that can be snatched away as soon as life doesn’t go our way.
When we get a letter that says, “You didn’t make it,” or open a message that uncovers our weaknesses, it’s hard to hold onto peace.
But why?
Peace in the person of Jesus is supposed to be sustaining right? So is it that we don’t really know Jesus as the person of peace?
When we feel like we’ve lost the peace that passes understanding, it’s time to dig into the place we first found it.
We must remember how Jesus redeemed us. We must remember the way he saved us. We must recall the power of his resurrection and know that no matter what happens in this world, we are filled with the power of peace. It’s not something that man can snatch away or that the enemy can remove from our souls.
Peace is a promise for every person that believes.
So why do we hold it so loosely?
I want to challenge you this week to claim peace and hold firmly to the permanence of it.
When your thoughts begin to flutter into the place of panic or when your heart feels heavy with the rejection of this world, claim the person of peace.
Claim Jesus.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 (KJV)
When we claim Jesus as our peace it might look something like this:
Dear Heavenly Father,
I know you are my sustaining strength. I know that no matter what is happening in my life, you are always steady, firm, and secure. I know that you love me and I trust you completely. When I begin to doubt, draw my eyes back to you and help me to know that you are with me. When I fall, fail, or feel like no one approves of me, give me assurance of your love and show me how to live in your presence with peace that cannot be described. Today, I claim your power, I hold your promise, and I look to the person of Jesus for all I need. You are all I need. You are my peace.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Love & Blessings,
Micah
Did you miss last week’s post? You can find it HERE.
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Such life-giving words, Micah. Thank you! We do tend to live as if peace can be snatched from us. I especially loved your point about finding peace where we first did: with Jesus.
Hey Bethany, thanks for dropping in. I’m learning to go back to that place of peace where I first met Jesus over and over again. It helps me keep the right perspective. I hope you have a peace filled week! Hugs.
This week, not only did the branch I went out on snap, the whole tree came down. Thanks for this reminder to seek and choose peace, through Jesus!
Carol, I’m so sorry for what you are going through right now. Lord, please cover my friend Carol with your love and care. Let her feel your presence near. Show her you are with her through this difficult time. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Great thoughts and reminder this morning! Thanks for sharing. Peace is sometimes very hard to find. Perfect scripture choice, too!
Glad this encouraged you!
My peace can be fleeting at times, so I love this encouragement to claim Jesus. “We must recall the power of his resurrection and know that no matter what happens in this world, we are filled with the power of peace. It’s not something that man can snatch away or that the enemy can remove from our souls.” Amen! Thanks for sharing this, Micah.
I needed to hear this so desperately today! I love how simple the truth is that we need to Claim Jesus. Amen! It’s the very thing we need. He brings peace. Always. Thank you!
Every writer needs to read these words — it does seem as if the writing life puts failure right there on the table and makes us deal with it on a regular basis. One of the lessons that I’m learning (slowly, so slowly) is that I would rather face the fear of failure than the fear of missing the opportunities that God has for me. Failure is part of that growth process. Ouch. But thanks be to God, His measuring stick is true and runs toward faithfulness rather than success (as we define it!).
Beautiful words! I am so thankful that we can claim God’s peace everyday, not matter our circumstances! I love the words of deep peace Jesus gave in John 14:27. Praise God that He does not give as the world gives! Thank you for this great reminder! :)
Thanks so much for inspiring words. Been counseling with my pastor to help me adjust my perspective. I had really been stuck in a place of thinking peace would only be found in the next life, and not in the broken mess we find ourselves in now. One day at a time. God Bless.
Beautiful sentiments here, Micah. As a fellow writer, I’m familiar with rejection. Clinging to God’s peace (and His perfect timing) helps me push forward. Visiting from #coffeeforyourheart. Blessings to you this Easter!
I pray for peace every night, or else it is elusive. Great words!