Is failure part of the plan?

[space.ace.jase]

Hi all,

I don't really post all that often but I'm really struggling at the moment.

Basically over the last last 3 months my life has taken a sharp nose dive and my plans for leaving my job and risking it all to go back to study have basically gone up in flames. I thought this is what God was leading me to do but why would he want me to fail at it?

I won't go into too much details but my depression is stronger than ever and I will be heading back to see my psychiatrist in 2 weeks (earliest appointment I could make) but why would God take away the last thing that was barely keeping me going? I have felt lead to start reading the whole bible (which I have never done) and have been reading the Bible daily (when I barely used to read one single verse a day) and how does God show his love? By making me suffer more than I ever have and when I have been asking for his strength to help me I am denied it and left with nothing.

I know God is sovereign and one day I may understand this all this but I just wanted to hear other peoples stories about when things have completely failed in their lives and they pulled through.

Thanks guys.

[Rene]

I thought this is what God was leading me to do but why would he want me to fail at it?

Hi Jase,

Could it be possible God is teaching you something new about yourself?  Instead of thinking of "failing" at something, why not think of it as an opportunity to do something else.  It's all about "cause and effect."  You are apparently being "forced" to look at another option in your life.  It may be a very painful, frustrating and scary time for you, but what is happening to you now is not the end of the situation. 

I can honestly tell you that not very long ago, I too was going through a very anxious, fearful time in my life.  However, at just the right time, God rescued me from this situation, although the rescue came after I had learned some very painful lessons about myself.  In hindsight, I can now see how valuable that tumultuous time of my life was for me.  I am now grateful for the whole experience because the humiliation of it all helped me to grow in some very significant ways.

René

[arion]

What seems as a 'failure' on our part is simply part of God's bigger plan for your life.  One of the most important things that I have learned is that I can't screw it up.  I always believed the scripture;

Rom 8:38-38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Yet at the same time I believed that although even satan himself can't keep me from the love of God that yet somehow I had the power on my own to keep me away from God.  That was always frightening to me as I thought that I myself had the power to thwart God's plan for my life.  Goes back into the 'freewill' thing that we are all inculcated with during our time in Babylon.

You can't possibly screw up God's plan for you.  Even though you don't know the steps your taking and you feel that you have failed yet at the same point in time even now you are exactly where God wants you to be....even in the midst of perceived failures.  It is those very failures that allows us to 'look back' at a later time and see that God's hand was there all along.  It brings little comfort when you are going through it and it won't be until later that you can see it but right now your exactly where God wants you to be and your doing exactly what God wants you to do.  You may not know the way but HE is the way and it is enough.  You do not in and of yourself have the power to mess up God's plan for your life.  Coming to understand this truth brings great freedom as it takes all the pressure off your shoulders.  Whether I am destined to be a vessel of honor or dishonor I do not yet know.  What I do know is God is both able and has promised to bring me to be where I need to be in the end and I can rest in that.

[ez2u]

a thankful heart goes a long way  are you being pick on   no  your life is being adjusted a little   just a little

[space.ace.jase]

Thank you for the kind words John, Rene and Arion. It really helped a lot 

a thankful heart goes a long way  are you being pick on   no  your life is being adjusted a little   just a little

Yes you are right I do need to change my heart, Proverbs 3:11 comes to mind...

"My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction"

Thanks again 

[Duane]

Please be assured that God's plan for you takes you in and out of your comfort zone.  It is important to remember that
"ALL (not some) but "ALL is of God"!  God tests US by placing US in difficult circumstances and look for US to lean (by FAITH) on HIM!  If we fail to learn the lesson--we get it all over again--until we do!

I had it "all figured out--just work two jobs for 6 months and we would be debt free!!"  Being Type A -Mr. Goal oriented--nothing will stop me--blah, blah.  Well, two months with lots of goals, little sleep and an aggressive weight-lifting program to start the day--BAM!  One massive stroke that paralyzed the whole left side of my body and a few other things and GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TO MY WELL PLANNED GOALS??!  tWO JOBS TO no jobs AND NO WAY TO KEEP THE HOUSE WE WERE LIVING IN--AND THERE I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL BEING ROLLED ONTO TARPS AND LIFTED FROM PLACE TO PLACE LIKE A BEACHED WHALE! 

I said "O.K. God--YOU have my undivided attention!"  All those goals, toys and status stuff meant ZERO!  Then God, and a lot of hard work and therapy got me out in three months with only paralysis in my lower left leg.  BUT--my whole life and out-look changed!!  My wife and step-son stuck with me, we got a cute little house in the "city" and my whole religious views changed with introduction to B-T.

So I haven't worked in 11 years except for a few little lawn jobs but God has used my eduction to study, read, write and be a help to people like you who need encouragement.  God WILL re-direct you -if your original plans failed!  :-)
In Christ, Duane

[acomplishedartis]

Wow Duane. I didn't know all those details of your story.  By the way, I love that saying that you posted on the anoother tread:
"God allows DIFFERENT trials, of DIFFERENT durations, to DIFFERENT people, for DIFFERENT purposes, producing DIFFERENT results --many times the REASONS are known ONLY to Him." --Duane Gevert

This morning I was having a hard time while fixing something on the house. It reminds this tread and many documentaries from people going trough what seems very harsh things from my perspective. All together along with reminding me past experiences; and, another unexpected situation that came out of my present small trial, made me come out with a soft curse and the next phrase:

'las cosas SIEMPRE se pueden poner peor. Aun mas aya de lo que nos podamos siquiera imaginar...' which means:

'things ALWAYS can get worst. Even more that we could ever imagine...'

I don't know if these will help to the present problems of 'jase' but atleast, hopefully it can make you see our present trials from a different perspective. Atleast until enough time pass by and then you can easily realize the beauty of watching the picture as a whole. Just like  Duane can do now.

[ez2u]

I sure can relate to this.  The day i wrote that reply was the day i heard about an grave injustice and a young man sentence to 70 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.  please pray for Tim

[dogoftwohead]

Yes, failure is part of the plan. there has to be failure and there has to be success. Some of us are destined to fail while others are destined to succeed. Speaking from personal experience I don't think God likes me very much; in fact sometimes I think He hates me. When I look back at life I often wonder what He is playing at. I gave up praying years ago because He never answers. Never. Which leads me to believe I am worthless in the eyes of God. Yes it isn't fair. If you want to know about failure I could write a book. But that's life. As for yourself, fellow believer, maybe God has a special plan for you. I hope He does and I hope everything works out for the better. take care.

[Joel]

These verses of scripture came to mind.
Hebrews 12:25-29
25:See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.
26:Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

27:And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
28:Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:
29:For our God is a consuming fire.

Joel

[zander]

This thread has been a real help for me.  I lost my job yesterday.  It's been like a nightmare, i've been hoping to wake up from and one of the biggest ever blows to my life i had in a very long time.  You see, i loved my job...which makes it all the more worse.  I've been struggling badly and not been sleeping well.  There's not much i can really say apart from, you really are not alone.

[Judy burns]

Been there and done that.  It was very hard to go thru but it passed. Yours will pass too just give it a little time