Failure Is Not FinalNäide

A sermon on failure

An amazing thing happened to me one Sunday evening. I was preaching about failure. After the benediction and the Amen, the congregation spontaneously applauded. I was a bit shocked. Their response almost seemed inappropriate. About 18 months later, I preached about failure again. After the sermon, the same thing happened.

Only twice have people applauded one of my sermons. Only later did I realize that the topic was “Failure” in both cases.

Why? People can identify with failure! When you talk about successes, people will hear you, but often it will not touch their hearts. Everybody will listen when you talk about failure because they will immediately be able to relate to you. Everybody struggles with failure. I have seen it again and again. When you are vulnerable enough to speak about your failures and how you overcame them, people will be more inclined to learn from you and remember what you communicated.

There is no need to brag about your failures. People see through that and may push you away.

If you are interested in reading more about the topic, I highly recommend John Maxwell's book Failing Forward.