Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– Henry Ward Beecher
What Doesn’t Work
If Thomas Edison had gotten discouraged, he would never have invented the long lasting light bulb. Without failure, we don’t know what doesn’t work, just as much as when we are successful, we know what does work, however, we don’t always know what works until we’ve tried several other ways, so sometimes, success doesn’t come until you’ve faced plenty of disappointments.
What Leads to Success
My cousins and I once got lost in a honeycomb-like cave in Arkansas. It was scary. As our flashlights began to go out one by one, we thought, “This was how we were going to die.” Then, it occurred to me to start searching for footprints, particularly footprints that were backwards, meaning that was the way we came in. Once we found those footprints, we retraced our steps until we found the cave entrance. Our failure led us back to success…those footprints were a lifesaver.
A Door after a Dead End
When you come to a dead end road, all you can do is go back, but that’s just what God intends, because sometimes we go right by an open door without even realizing it. We can be so preoccupied about the road ahead of us that we forgot to start looking for other avenues we could have taken. The “detour” sign is very important because it means the road is closed ahead, but detour doesn’t mean stop…it means go another way. You might face a temporary disappointment, but it’s not’s the end of the road. Besides, that’s how God sometimes works.
Stay on the Path
The best thing we can do in life is to stay in the Word of God because it illuminates our path and keeps us from stumbling as often as if we didn’t see the path. The psalmist writes, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105), but sadly, “There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths” (Job 24:13), however, God had made “known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
Conclusion
Don’t take disappointments too hard. As has been said, make your disappointments, God’s appointments. Don’t let it be a dead end but rather, let it take you another way so that you can find success, because our best successes often do come right after our greatest disappointments.
