By 37 years of age, I definitely thought that I would be somewhere else in life. I saw myself being atop a Wall Street ladder, steadily advancing further in life with each ringing of the stock market bell. I envisioned that I would be taking calls on the regular, working to solve major financial issues before they became the issues of the world. Bullish market or bearish??? It didn’t matter, I wanted to be the one that people called to get answers quickly.

However, comma…

While I had a desire for that lifestyle, not only did I not have the heart for it, God had a different plan in mind for me. Reluctantly, I followed His lead and it brought me to the place where I am now- Graced beyond measure, yet trying to understand the failures that I have encountered. Will you journey with me?

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Transparency moment:
Prior to this past Friday afternoon, I thought that failure was this horrible stumbling block in life and that it would devastate me beyond repair.

Today however, I realize that failure is the learning tool that I need in order to find success in my life. Failure is not a roadblock or dead end; failure is a fork in the road that allows us to choose how we will respond to the situations before us. And on Friday, I realized that I have been graced to fail and positioned to fail with grace.

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I can only imagine what y’all must have thought when you read the title “graced for failure.” As I’ve mentioned before, this year God has revealed to me that 2023 was my year of GRACE and as the year has progressed, I continue to learn His meaning of the word and what He intends for me to do with that word. To start, God needed me to hear/see/live that word and know that GRACE means He is in the midst.

For 2023, God saw what this year would bring and because He knows His child, He knew that I would need reassurance that no matter what my eyes can see, He is with me in all situations. By giving me the word GRACE, God needed me to pause in the moment so that I could see His hand working. Beloved, have you done that recently? Have you paused to see how even though all Hades may be breaking loose in your life, that God is still walking with you? He is always there with you; yes, God is in the midst.

Secondly, GRACE means that God has prepared you for this situation. I know that so often we see the situation before us and then we wonder why God thought we could handle it. Beloved, I KNOW that I am not alone in this feeling! At some point we have all wondered what God saw in us and why He decided that we were equipped to handle difficulty. God’s grace means that He has thoroughly considered all options and He knows that we are more than equipped to handle every trial that comes our way. God does not call the people who He thinks can handle a particular situation; God prepares the people that He believes can grow through Him in the midst of the situation. You and I have been kissed and GRACED by God to be exactly where we are at this present moment.

Beloved, you are not alone and God has prepared you for this…and more.

Lastly, GRACE means that there is beauty in your situation. Ouch; this is the painful one. It is often too difficult for us to sit down in the midst of a trial and say that there is something beautiful happening there. Yet I am a realist and I say that if manure nourishes plants and rain causes plants to grow, then there is some beauty in the midst of the pain that you are facing right now. My sweet friend, I know that whatever you are facing seems like it is the most painful test that you have ever endured, but believe me when I say that there is beauty- God’s beauty- right where you are. Continue to believe in the goodness of the Lord, knowing that we can trust in Him, put our hope in Him, and know that He is our everlasting God.

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GRACED for Failure means that failure will come sometimes but:
God is in the midst
God has prepared you for this
God’s beauty is present in your situation

I love you, Beloved, and I pray that you truly understand that you have been graced for life’s “failure.” Hold God’s hand and continue to trust Him, leaning not to your own understanding.

Be blessed.