Gifts in Disguise

“I have missed over 9000 shots, I have lost almost 300 games, 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over in my life, and that is why I succeed.”

-- Michael Jordan, acclaimed as best basketball player of all time

Obviously, you do not like to fail.  Nor do you like to see those you care about fail.  But failure is often a gift in disguise.  Why?

Most spiritual leaders would agree that after the age of 35 or so, there is very little we learn from our successes.  But we could probably write novels about what we learned from our mistakes.  So how do you tap into this goldmine of wisdom?

First, view failure or defeat as a gift.  And what do you do with a gift?  You open it, examine it, spend some time with it, and then find the nuggets of gold that it contains.  If you cannot find a nugget, ask God to show you where it is.  Do not give up; there is always something valuable to be found.

Once found, reflect on it, maybe write it down, and say it out loud, preferably to someone close to you.  Let it seep into your soul because if you do, it will shape and mold you in very beneficial ways.