| When an amazing man named George Dawson died years ago, he left an indelible legacy that can, in many, dramatically impact the lives of each of us. His is a legacy of perseverance, dedication and a refusal to be stymied by the fear of failure.George Dawson was 103 years old when he died; he was 98 when he took his first step to learn how to read. He didn’t care what others thought or said. He didn’t care about those who asked why he would pursue such a goal at such an advanced age. He didn’t care that in whatever classroom he would sit he would be the focal point, the object of curiosity, stares and whispers; may be even the object of nasty jokes. He didn’t even care that he might not be able to do it and could fall flat on his face. He just knew it was something he wanted, and despite the obstacles, it was something he had to pursue, no matter how much he feared what might, or might not happen.
“I never would have known if I could do it if I hadn’t at least tried to do it” he said once. Dawson tried and succeeded and eventually went on to write a book: life is so good, sharing tidbit of wisdom while outlining his incredible life journey, a journey that kept him out of school as a boy because he had to work to support his family. But even at 98, he took the first step to realize a long-cherished dream. The kind of step that so many of us never take, can’t take, won’t take simply because we are frozen in the paralyzing grip of fear, more specifically, the fear of failure. All of us can learn a life-changing lesson from Dawson: who was a glowing testament to the power of perseverance, an example of success against odds. He didn’t just learn to read, he became a model and an inspiration for all those who don’t have the courage to take the first step and simply try, more specifically frozen in the paralyzing grip of fear. The fear of failure prevents you from doing that great thing you wish to do. If you trace the history of any successful person, you’ll probably find a string of failure, disappointment and rejection that infiltrated their lives before there was a celebration of triumph. So there is nothing wrong with a bit of failure, as long as you’re not overwhelmed by it, consumed by it or paralyzed by it. BOTTOM LINE; how will you ever know what’s yours to have if you never take the first step to find out what’s within your reach? If you have a dream, live it. If you have a hope, chase it. If you have a desire to succeed, don’t let the fear of failure prevent it. Let’s meet at the acme. – AOD Oluwafemi |
Some major issues that threaten healthy family life are the hurts and failures of the past. I refer to hurts and failures as one because the points at which one fails usually becomes a hurt on the mind and it keeps haunting you preventing your progress.
For instance, if your husband used to be a non-resident father who will only come home after spending his earnings on loose and riotous living like the prodigal son. But, unlike the prodigal, he kept going back to his vomit month-in, month-out till he contracted HIV which brought him to his senses and back to God and then home.
Maybe your situation is not that grievous, your wife simply embarrassed you amidst your peers when she said something out of turn and since then you’ve been afraid to take her out to public functions. Perhaps, it’s your son that brought shame to the home when he jilted your family-friends’ daughter.
God’s panacea comes to all ailing families today. Those hurts and failures belong to the past, so LEAVE THEM THERE! Don’t carry yesterday’s burdens into today. The sinner has repented before God and received forgiveness; this is the most important part of the matter. If your heavenly Father has forgiven him/her then you need to follow suit as His child. God forgives every sinner who comes to Him in repentance. ‘If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’1 And for the saints that have erred in someway in the past, God’s position is clear- ‘My dear children, I write these things so you may not sin, and if anyone does sin, we have a counsel for our defense in the Father’s presence, Jesus Christ the righteous one’.2
Forgiveness came by the cross, that’s where God dealt with the sin problem of humanity forever. He punished our sins- past, present and future in Jesus. There remains no more sacrifice for sins than that which has been made- Jesus died. Thus, God has legal grounds for forgiving and forgetting our sins.
Therefore, we ought to extend grace to this repentant member of our family, STOP viewing the person in the light of the past because God does not do that, He Himself took our sins far from us as far as the east is from the west. The way to deal with past hurts or failures is to take on God’s view point which was displayed in the story of the prodigal; His father ran to meet him and threw a welcome party as though the boy had been a good ambassador of the home all the while. He believed the best of the boy and treated him like a king. Love covers a multitude of faults and expects the best always. Show God’s love; don’t let what has happened in the past affect your family relationship and you’ll realize as you choose to extend grace that it’s not as difficult as you thought because you’ve been wired to live and act like God- your Father.
Scriptures:1 1John 1:9, 2 1John2:1
ASSIGNMENT: Read the story of the prodigal son once again [Luke 15:11-32] and post your comments about the love displayed by his father and the elder brother’s approach to the matter.
– Dr ifelayo ojo