You’re Going to Fail: Reality News, Not Fake News
I’m not negative — and this isn’t fake news. This is reality news. Richard Rohr is right: “We come to God because we get it wrong, not because we get it right.” Everybody talks about success, efficiency, excellence, and productivity. But the most common human experience in the world isn’t success — it’s failure.
We all sin — Jews and Gentiles. We give life our best shot, we put in effort, we make commitments… and yet evil has a way of showing up right in the middle of our best intentions - sickness, divorce, career disappointments, addictions, and aging.
Failure is not an anomaly. It’s not a glitch in the system. It’s a frequent visitor in our lives.
Paul said it plainly in Romans 7:
“For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out… the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (7:18–19).
“I keep on doing” tells the truth: failure will not be a one-time event; it will be part of our ongoing spiritual struggle. Sin doesn’t vanish when we’re saved — but we can learn to rule over it (Romans 6:11, 13–14).
Here’s the long and short of it: How you handle your failures will determine the quality of your spirituality.
Some choose denial. Some choose hypocrisy. Others become experts in sin-management — polishing their own system of self-righteousness. But Paul chose a different path. After crying out, “Who will rescue me?” he answered with hope:
“Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:24–25).
And then he delivers the knockout punch in Romans 8:1:
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
So we stand between two choices:
• defeat or victory
• flesh or Spirit
• you or Christ
Life is a seesaw — a series of failures and victories that are all moving us toward the grand and glorious resurrection. But in the middle of today’s reality, don’t miss the bigger truth: your failures cannot stop God’s grace, God’s love, or God’s plan for your life.
Grace to you,
Cedric
Traditionalwriter@yahoo.com
We all sin — Jews and Gentiles. We give life our best shot, we put in effort, we make commitments… and yet evil has a way of showing up right in the middle of our best intentions - sickness, divorce, career disappointments, addictions, and aging.
Failure is not an anomaly. It’s not a glitch in the system. It’s a frequent visitor in our lives.
Paul said it plainly in Romans 7:
“For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out… the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing” (7:18–19).
“I keep on doing” tells the truth: failure will not be a one-time event; it will be part of our ongoing spiritual struggle. Sin doesn’t vanish when we’re saved — but we can learn to rule over it (Romans 6:11, 13–14).
Here’s the long and short of it: How you handle your failures will determine the quality of your spirituality.
Some choose denial. Some choose hypocrisy. Others become experts in sin-management — polishing their own system of self-righteousness. But Paul chose a different path. After crying out, “Who will rescue me?” he answered with hope:
“Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:24–25).
And then he delivers the knockout punch in Romans 8:1:
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
So we stand between two choices:
• defeat or victory
• flesh or Spirit
• you or Christ
Life is a seesaw — a series of failures and victories that are all moving us toward the grand and glorious resurrection. But in the middle of today’s reality, don’t miss the bigger truth: your failures cannot stop God’s grace, God’s love, or God’s plan for your life.
Grace to you,
Cedric
Traditionalwriter@yahoo.com
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