You need to fail.
Really.
Failure teaches us lessons that no amount of success or fear or apathy can ever achieve.
The problem is that SO many of us will do anything to avoid failure. We won’t even try something if we think we might fail. We’ll take the easier road to avoid it. We set ourselves up for success and then we pat ourselves on the back for being successful. Our American mindset simply doesn’t have room for failure. 
But a biblical mindset can accept failure. Even embrace it. Why? Here are a few reasons:
Failure teaches humility. When we fail, we turn to God for strength (which we should be doing all the time!), and we are reminded that only when we are weak can we truly be strong (2 Cor. 12:10). This is humility – recognizing all we have is from God and for God.
Failure teaches compassion. When we fail, we have more compassion for others who have failed. I used to think I could do anything I set my mind to. And then God allowed several circumstances in my life that showed me I couldn’t. It was painful and humbling, but so very necessary. I can minister more effectively having learned that lesson, and I can love more freely.
Failure teaches dependence. Sometimes, when we experience success after success, we forget that we need God. We can even sometimes get a “god complex” ourselves, believing we can fix others or save them on our own. When we fail, we are reminded how much we need God. Our times in His word are richer, our time in prayer is more beautiful. When we recognize our emptiness, He fills us.
Failure teaches repentance. Often our failures are a result of our sin. And ALL sin. Even believers. Until we are united with Christ in our new bodies, we will battle with the sinful nature in these bodies. That’s why Jesus came – to forgive our sins. But sometimes, we fail to acknowledge our sinfulness. We either focus on the “worse” sins of others or the “good” things we do, and ignore our own sins. This, friends, is a trick of our Enemy. Repentance brings life and joy and freedom. God is waiting to forgive us when we ask (I John 1:9). But we need to ask. We need to confess. We must acknowledge that we sin and need both his forgiveness and His strength to overcome temptations.
Failure is part of life. We don’t need to avoid it or deny it. Whether it’s because of our own actions, the actions of others, or circumstances beyond our control, we will fail. How we deal with that failure will determine who we are. Don’t get buried beneath it. Through Christ, as can rise above our failure, we can grow from it, and we can know Him better.
