Forget Failure

The baby is 15 months, and he doesn't walk anymore. He runs. Or trots, rather. Everywhere he goes is full steam ahead. No hesitation. He definitely gets some bumps and bruises along the way, but after a quick fall or falter, he's up and at it again.  While it's exhausting for the mother, it's also inspirational. He's not intimidated; he just goes.

I was out of town on Saturday, and my sweet babysitter took all three kids to a superhero birthday party. She told me that the baby only wanted to hang out at one spot: the basketball court. This court was not really where the party was; it was for big kids and adults to use.  And I guess the occasional toddler.  She had to try to keep him off when big people were using it, and the second they were gone, he'd race back out to play.  My daughter laughed when I told her about this.

"Yes," she said. "I saw him over there from the pirate ship."

In thinking about the baby's audacity, I am reminded how utterly cautious I am. I like to have my ducks in a row before proceeding. I like to envision the outcome.  I don't like the messy "what if's" or the unruly "maybe not's."  I don't like to fail.

I fail a lot, but I don't like it. I feel it. It makes me scared to try again.

I have been thinking about this topic with writing lately. When I was younger and braver and would sent out bold query letters or send poems to literary journals, I felt hopeful of the outcome. But rejection letters aren't that fun. They make you think you might not really be a writer after all.  You might just be a journaler or a scribbler.

As reminded by my Bible study teacher, I've been trying to do some listening prayer lately instead of just talking prayer.  Last week, I heard: "Forget Failure.  Just do what I tell you."

Forget failure.

What would we all be like if we could forget failure and just do what He tells us?

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14).