FAILURE IS A TEACHER!!

As I write the above words, I cringe. Who likes to fail? Not me. I can think of all kinds of teachers like books, people, experience…but failure? Nope. Not on my list!!

The other day my grands and I were “debating” (and I use the term loosely) what nighttime movie to watch. I put my vote in for The Young Washington. Yes, I know, I had already seen it three times, but it is such a good movie, and I wanted to watch it with my grands.

My daughter and her hubby were on a business trip, and even though two of the four are teenagers who babysit the children of others, it is good to have an adult around for several days until mom and dad return. I love staying with my grands, it brings the kid out in me. We play games, grab coffee, drive around the lake and tell silly jokes. I love it!!  

Maranatha, the youngest was reading Anne of Green Gables, so I read the last few chapters out loud as we nestled in the family room on comfy chairs. It had been years since I read to my children, but I did my best in finding different voices for the characters to draw us both into the story. Before long, two of the older siblings snuck in behind me to listen and we cried together when Matthew Guthbert died. 

Well, maybe they didn’t cry…but I sure did. Ha!!

When it came to movie time, it was my turn to pick. We watched a not-so great movie the night before. Funny, but not overflowing with good examples to follow. I was determined to watch something that was inspirational, something that would make us all want to be better people!! But I had a fight on my hands. (Of course, not really. But it was their free time, and they wanted to watch something fun.)

Finally, one of the older teens said, “Let’s watch The Young Washington.” 

Wahoo!!! Periodically throughout the movie I looked at their faces to see if they were enjoying it as much as I. 

A smile quietly slipped over my face as I watched them lean forward totally engaged when the young George rode back into battle with bullets going through his coat and hat to rescue his men. It was a powerful scene. It is the battle of Monongahela when two horses were shot from underneath him and four bullets had gone through his coat. He not only went back into battle to rescue his men, but also miraculously survived unscathed.

Later, the Indians who had fought alongside the French wanted to see the man whom “the Great Spirit would not let die.”
 
The Bible tells us that God is sovereign over the nations. He sets up kings and removes them. Nobody and nothing can thwart His plan…not even bullets! The young George Washington survived. He lived on to lead the country in its fight for independence and became the first president of the United States. He was hailed a hero and admired by many. Historians credit him for holding this country together during perilous times and today he is known as the Father of our country. 

But few people remember the failure of his first battle as a volunteer against the French. Many men had lost their lives and practically speaking, he started the French and Indian War. He went home a failure. 

What would’ve happened if failure had kept him down? What would’ve happened if he was swallowed up in self-pity never to rise again?

Returning home with his head hung low, he asked his mother “why did God let me fail?” 

She tenderly looked at her son and said, “Failure is a teacher, George. God allows us to fail to teach us. If we don’t learn the lesson, we fail again!”

I don’t know how long it took him to rise from his failure, but in the movie, we see him facing it head on. Once he works through his despair and depression, he goes back and offers his services. His superior asks, “why should I accept your services? You failed!”

He looks his superior in the eye and says, “Yes, I failed, but failure is a teacher.”

And the rest is history!! 

George went on to lead a ragtag militia to victory against the world’s greatest fighting machine. His story is an incredible story. He was an incredible man, not because he never failed, but because he got up again and let God teach him through his failure. 

The next morning as I was fixing breakfast one of my grands said, “Mimi, I really enjoyed the movie last night. I taped a note on my desk reminding me that “failure is a teacher!” 

Well, this Mimi was beaming!! How is it that God is in little moments like these? But He is. Don’t discount the late-night movies, the reading of books or conversations over breakfast. And least of all, don’t discount failures. Face them head on and see them as teachers sent by God!!!