Carol

February 18, 2013 | Published in Carol, Devotional

An Encouragement for Failure

I stared into the blue water of the pool, then down at my flip-flops. I lifted a wary eyebrow towards my brother. His eyes wide, he nodded, encouraging me to take a step.

“You’ll walk on water – just like Jesus,” Jay told me. I had completely dried from our summer dip in the pool and stood wrapped in my faded Kodak towel my mom got for sending off the UPC codes from film boxes. Kneeling down beside the pool, I removed a flip-flop and gently placed it on the water.

To my seven-year-old delight, it floated.

My brother, almost three years older and wiser, stood smug beside me. “I told you it would. Now try walking.” My cousin, Glen, joined in, trying to convince me.

I stretched my foot over the water, dropping my towel to the ground. Slowly I rested my foot on the water and felt the slight buoyancy of my rubber shoe. I leaned forward with my weight to take a step – and sunk with a plop.

I burst from the water to the cackles of my brother and cousin. “You believed it! I can’t believe you did it.” They held their sides from laughter.

Soaking wet, I emerged from the water. But I didn’t wonder whether or not I could walk on water. I didn’t walk away questioning myself, wishing I’d given it a try.

I tried. And failed. But there is always a lesson in failure.

Flip-flops float, but won’t hold you up in water – only Jesus can do that.

What is that one thing in your life that you’ve wondered if you could do? Perhaps you’ve never even uttered your dream aloud to a friend. Maybe you have walked to the edge of the water, but turned away discouraged.

I’m encouraging you to risk failure. Because in failure, you can be proud you tried – and learn what not to do next time.

But you never know. There’s always the chance you’ll find success. With one shaky first step and then another, you will walk on water. And isn’t that worth it?

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. Matthew 14:28-29 ESV

Tagged as: believe in your dream, Carol Hatcher, Everyday Missionary, failure, life lesson, sheep to the right, walk on water

This post may contain affiliate links. When you use them, you support this site. Thank you!
See our Disclosure Policy for details.

When It’s Time to Back Away

I didn’t really want a dog.

I’m not a pet person. But something about the floppy ears and the big brown eyes even melted this always-sanitize-after-petting girl. Don’t buy me an “I love my Lab” t-shirt yet, but I will admit I strongly like my dog – most of the time.

My husband recently installed an underground electric fence. Our poor pooch, Comet, gets a little jolt any time she comes near the gates of our wooden fence. That Houdini of a dog has escaped the backyard more times than I can count and once was caught by animal control. So we had to do something to keep her safe.

Read the full article →

Christmas Card Prayers

It’s the beginning of December when they start making their appearance. First as a slow trickle, but then two by two they march into my mailbox – Christmas cards.

In recent years, the majority are picture greetings. With giddy excitement, I tear open each one, eager to see the creative cards and read well wishes. Every year I display them across my kitchen cabinets, smiling faces greeting me as I cook and help with homework.

For years, I struggled with what to do with them at the end of the season. It seemed a crime to toss the beautiful glossies of the families I loved in the trash.

Read the full article →

5 Ways to Keep the Home Fires Burning

Sometimes marriage can become as stale as the box of Cheerios your ten-year-old left open on the pantry shelf. What once burned hot and bright may now be a cold, black dirty log in your fireplace.

Do you drool over those married couples that look as if they share a secret no one else knows? The secret is they know how to be intentional in their marriage. A good marriage takes work. A great marriage is like wallpapering your two-story den – it seems impossible. But, alas, it is not.

Here are 5 easy tips for turning up the heat in your marriage.

Read the full article →

The Language of Worship

“En nombre de Padre, de Hijo, y de espiritu santo.”

The waters stirred as the dark haired gentleman followed the pastor into the baptismal pool. The pastor introduced himself and this gentleman to the congregation. Hundreds of eyes rested on these two as they readied to represent Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. “This man comes to us tonight to be baptized.” Those were the last words I understood.

The pastor then spoke beautiful Spanish as fluid as the water in which he stood. The words were engaging but made no sense to me. I followed as closely as possible listening for chunks of words I understood comparing them to the words I knew and expected at a baptism.

Read the full article →

The Wait From Here

You are finally here. After weeks and months of planning, you are here. It’s hot, but you don’t mind. You can almost feel the wind whipping through your hair already. A bead of sweat strolls lazily down your back, but your smile doesn’t waver.

As you walk through the gates you grab a map. It’s not like you need one. You memorized the lay of the park even last night before you fell asleep, knowing which rides you would hit first. Your arms swing quickly to keep time with your step.

Finally, you catch sight of it in the distance. Your eyes strain to read the sign at the entrance.

Read the full article →

A Blessing in the Broken Things

I’d waited weeks for this moment: toes in the sand, waves crashing in the distance, sun warming my soul. I watched as my two-year-old made happy piles of sand in front of me, experiencing the beach for the first time.

Then from beside me I heard a sigh and a mutter. “It’s not fair. I wasted my money.”

My ten-year-old son pouted and kicked his body board further from him. From the outside it looked fine, blue cloth stretched over the foam core displaying South Carolina’s traditional palmetto tree and crescent. But beneath the covering, the board was broken in two.

Read the full article →

You Were Made for This

I pulled up to the stop sign not far from my neighborhood. Music floated through the car like fog – not loud enough to be truly heard, but not quite soft enough to equate silence. The sun was shining. I turned right at the stop to meet a friend for walking at the mall in what turned out to be a Friday ritual. In the back seat was my new baby, my first-born son. No other children yet to grace the spots behind me. One year earlier, I was standing at a white board teaching phonics and double-digit subtraction with twenty-four sets of eyes on my every move.