Failure Permitted Try Again by Martin Wiles

I immediately had reservations I was cut out for such a “preppy” high school, but I had no choice. I was a minor, and my parents made important decisions for me.

Fourteen is a challenging time for a young boy. I was coming of age, and within a few years would be able to drive, vote and move out on my own. In the meantime, I was locked in a high school I wasn’t sure I could adjust to. Rigid academic demands along with strict rules like no hair touching the collar or eyebrows made this hippie at heart bristle. Several failing grades, coupled with the principal’s constant criticism of my hair length, made me feel as if I were a failure. Mom and Dad quickly realized having me here wasn’t a good investment and placed me in public school.

Solomon recognized our human weaknesses and wrote, There is not a single person in all the earth who is always good and never sins (Ecclesiastes 7:20 NLT).

Removing me from a private school didn’t alleviate future failures. I had my share before graduating high school and since-from a few unacceptable grades in college to financial meltdown to family breakdown. But I learned failing didn’t make me a failure.

God gives many chances as the Bible and experience prove. No one is flawless-nor do we live in a faultless world, but I don’t have to be perfect for God to accept me. While he has expectations, he also allows mistakes. Having a heart that’s sensitive to godly things, confessing when we fall short of his standards and pledging not to repeat the same mistake are evidences we understand God’s “Failure Permitted Try Again” program.

Prayer: Thank You merciful Lord for being a God of many chances and for loving us through our failures.

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