Move On

Sometimes, things don't all go according to plan. You can put in all the time, work, discipline, and effort, and things still don't pan out like you want them to. Failure is a perpetual occurrence in the world of weightlifting and CrossFit. In these moments, we have a choice- to get frustrated and quit, or to roll with the punches, learn from failure, and move on. For me, I seem to be able to do this pretty well in the gym (maybe it's because I fail so often that I have learned to move on quickly). What is much more difficult is releasing myself from failure and moving on when I fail in life.

Failure is something we all must deal with. Maybe it's failing a test. Maybe it's missing a deadline. Maybe it's feeling like we are failing in a relationship. Perhaps we feel like failures with our job, or our kids, or worst of all our pursuit of Christ. A friend of mine once wrote in a letter to me something that stuck with me:

"There is no failure in the eyes of our Maker as long as we do not forsake Him in the midst of it." -J. Smith

It is in these moments of failure that we are refined, that we are sharpened, and that we are humbly reminded of our imperfections and need for someone greater to justify us. How glorious it is that we have such a man- Jesus, the Christ, our King. In Him, all my failures- past, present, and future- are washed away by His blood (Revelation 1:5). In Him, I have freedom (Galatians 5:1). In Him, there is no condemnation (Romans 8:1). When we hold on to our failures, and when we fixate our eyes on them rather than releasing them and moving on, we are holding on to something that Christ has already paid for, and in doing so revealing a lack of trust in the fact that His payment on the cross was enough. But thanks be to God that it was enough! Trust His promise- that when He said "it is finished," He meant it.

Hold fast brothers and sisters. Blessings.