Giving Up

Joe Biden's mom died recently. On the campaign trail, Vice President Biden quoted his mom as telling him while he was growing up, "Failure is inevitable, however, giving up is unforgivable."

 

We go through life thinking we will not fail or cannot fail. Yet, failure is as prevalent as the air we breathe. To avoid failure is ultimately impossible. So much we do involves avoiding failure (impossible) or pretending it didn't happen (rationalization.) Both are energies wasted.

 

Failures to not have to define us. Giving up occurs when we let failure define us or our life. Sometimes we let others do this for us. We give up when we accept this definition of failure as a person.

 

Einstein failed as a civil servant but soared as a physicist. Edison failed in hundreds of light bulbs but each was an embryo of the one that succeeded. Failures lead to Post-it Notes. Few politicians have never failed at the polls. Colonel Sanders started Kentucky Fried Chicken when most of us think of retirement. Actress Halle Barry has diabetes and had an abusive father. The greatest hitters in baseball fail to hit 2/3's of the time.

 

I think the sin against the Holy Spirit mention in the passage that follows has nothing to do with cursing or not going to church but has to do with denying the Spirit at work in us when we give up and let failure define us of the following passage.

 

But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Luke 12:9-10 (NIV)

 

Have you let failure(s) define you? Have you let them define others in your life? Don't give up. God is faithful.