I’m not known as someone who buys things on impulse, but sometimes you see something that just jumps out at you. Last week it was a red book in Shoemakers. I met the author a few years ago, and seeing her name on the book I thought Ah Ha!
The book is called ‘Failure’ and Emma (the author) says her publisher wanted to change it, saying: No one will buy a book called ‘Failure’!
Which is a pity, because there’s a lot of failure around us – just look at the news. Strikes, NHS waits, economic turmoil, Ukraine: is it not a litany of failure compounding failure?
Emma talks about the human tendency to distance ourselves from our failures –blaming, making excuses, or just pretending it didn’t happen or wasn’t a failure. But there’s another way: Failure can be part of growing and learning – not because it’s good, but because it happens. To fear failure is to fear reality; to deny failure is to deny reality, and Life after Failure is a sign of redemption, and where people are involved, that needs a bit of grace. And in the same way, big failure (think Apple) needs big redemption (think Cross) and an ocean of grace.
Raymond.
“For the message of the cross … to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1Cor3:18
Revd Raymond Obin
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