Christian Living

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4-26-12

In 1969 I was driving along Interstate 81 listening to Paul Harvey. He made an unforgettable statement. It has helped me on some very bad days to get up, brush myself off and continue the journey. Paul said: "If I ever become successful enough for someone to ask me the secret of my success, I am going to say when I fall down (Famous Harvey pause) I get up."

Simple isn’t it? Most motivated people fail along the way in some area. I have never talked with a successful person in any field who cannot tell of some failure, though they seldom talk about it. Learn to emphasize the victory noting only what is learned from the failure.

In my book "Outrageous Forgiveness In 30 Days" I tell the story of Mark, who wrote the gospel bearing his name. Mark failed miserably in his youth and the Apostle Paul refused to take him on a journey. I'm certain this was a painful price to pay for failing. Mark accepted the help of Barnabas and recovered from his failure so dramatically that fourteen years later Paul asked Mark to join his entourage. Mark got up. Acts 15:37-39, Col. 4:10, 2Tim 4:1.

Marked learned the end of one enterprise is really the new beginning of another often better undertaking. Paul knew this and said in Philippians 3:14 "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Larry Lilly Copyright © Use with credit

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