“ Failure, said a wise man is a stepping stone to success. “ We are familiar with the various clichés about failure and success. For example it is said that a setback is a springboard to success. Take this one : “ Failure is not final “ And many more such clichés abound. In the course of my reading I came across this heart warming and inspiring article. It’s about the 16th president of the USA – Abraham Lincoln. He attended school less than 12 months in his entire life. He failed in business as a storekeeper. He failed as a farmer, despising this work. He failed in his first attempt to obtain political office. When elected to the legislature he failed when he sought the office of speaker. He failed in his first attempt to go to congress. He failed when he sought the appointment to the United States Land Office. He failed when he ran for the US Senate. He failed when friends sought for him the nomination for the Vice- Presidency in 1856. But he never gave up. Lincoln first understood personal loss at the age of ten when his mother died. His childhood was filled with work on the farm and keeping the store in New Salem, Illinois. But he made exceptional efforts to educate himself in spite of his lack of formal schooling. He later married Mary Todd and they had four boys. He again was faced with personal loss, multiple times, as only one of the four boys lived to maturity. His entire life was one disappointment after another. But he never gave up. He did not feel sorry for himself and was determined to overcome his failures, setbacks and disappointments. He is considered by many to be the greatest President that ever served in the Oval Office. Some years ago I wrote in my journal a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln. He said : “ I have been driven to my knees because I had nowhere else to go. “ Perhaps his determination to overcome setbacks, disappointments and failures arose out of his dependence on Jesus Christ. On reading this heart warming story – I have declared that I too will not allow adverse circumstances, failure, disappointments and setbacks to prevent me from going forward and reaching my full potential. Too often we wallow in self pity and we tend to zero in on our failures and the things we believe we do not possess. We give in and we give up too easily. Consequently our growth is stunted and our progress is inhibited. The road to success, joy, fulfillment and purpose includes setbacks, failure, discouragement and disappointment. I urge you to join me in making that declaration today. Reflect on the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8 v 31 “ .. in all these things we are more than conquerors (overcomers) through Him (Christ) who loved us. “ Keep looking up !!!
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 08:29:34 +0000
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