Exodus 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
“The one who falls and gets up is so much stronger than the one who never fell.” -Roy T. Bennett
Fear of failure devitalizes enthusiasm. The effects of the past failures linger on for several years if we fail to declutter our mind from the wrongs of the past. Over time the disappointment of the past will morph our personality into ‘fearful prudes’. Failure should make us think differently. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein. Failure should not make us cringe behind the curtains but help us to think outside the box. However, public humiliation, ridicule and stigma can use failure as a tool to damage our self-image and steal our self-confidence. Failure of the past is one of the main causes of insecurity.
Moses was chained by the failure of his past mistake. He took justice in his hands and killed an Egyptian who was bullying a Hebrew slave. He thought he had buried his mistake and no one noticed him but the flash news hit the Egyptian Times! Soon it reached the ears of the Pharaoh and Moses, the Prince of Egypt, fled into the wilderness. For 40 years he hid in the wilderness in shame and stigma of his failure. He looked at himself as a disaster. He degraded and demoted himself from a ruler to a ranger. But after 40 years there was a divine visitation from the Lord God commissioning him as the deliverer of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. Anyone who saw the Angel of the Lord was terrified. However, we see Moses arguing and reasoning with Him as to why he is disqualified to be appointed as the “messenger of God”. Moses had five excuses to tell God that His choice was wrong. His past failure had completely debilitated his passion.
Conquering the fear of failure:
1. Excuses: If you find yourself giving excuses to embrace the opportunities that come your way, reevaluate the reasoning. Moses first tried to sound humble, “Who am I that I should go” to hide his lack of confidence. Then he gave other excuses that the Hebrews will not believe that God spoke to a murderer and called him to be their deliverer. Our past does not dictate our future. Don’t allow the failures of the past to hinder your God given purpose.
2. Enthusiasm: Embarrassment and dishonor will consume all our enthusiasm. Don’t dwell on the harsh words or treatment of the past. Moses was regurgitating the shame he faced in the past that deflated his enthusiasm. Stop revisiting your past failure.
3. Encumbrance: Fear of failing again will become a burden bigger than the mission that we are called for. Moses tried hard to impress the people but the harder he tried the more he failed to get their approval. Don’t let the past burden and overwhelm you.
Learn from the past failure but never allow it to dictate your future.
Exodus 4:1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, show me any sediments of the past that are hidden in my heart. Teach me to break free from the insecurity and low self-esteem of the past failures. Amen
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