Failing Forward

Fathers (& mothers 😬) are fallible but I think God uses this fallibility to teach children what it looks like to fail forward. 🎊 That seems like an awful thing to say on Father’s Day day but hang with me because I think there is great good that can come from fallibility.

I have failed as a mama too many times to count, but my hope and desire is that my sons would wield my failures as an opportunity for them to fail forward!

👉🏽That they would see and experience my shortfalls SO THAT they could make informed & wise decisions as they grow and launch from our home 🤗

That’s what Jehoshaphat did! It says that he was, “a good king, following the example of his father.”

Our children are always watching and they experience first-hand the wake of our

decisions as they follow our example.

Whether we intend to lead or not, the fruit that follows is the legacy we leave. King Asa had to be doing something right for Jehoshaphat to be deemed “good”.

The passage goes on to list some of Jehoshaphat’s shortfalls, but he also corrected an area where his own father fell short - by removing the shrine prostitutes.

The visual I have is that I get to stand on the shoulders of the two men who are incredible fathers to me. They are strong and loving, and like me, are also not perfect. I think this perception gave me permission to fail early and fail often, in the safety of their love and care. They gave me a safe space to land while I learned what it’s like to fail forward.

As I grow older, I get to stand on their shoulders, seeing further because of the foundation they have laid. Then my children can stand on my shoulders and see even clearer and further, and so on...

I am aware that I have many friends whose fathers have failed them in the worst kind of way, so I know this day can be hard for them. My prayer this Father’s Day is far and wide...may we pray blessing, wisdom and discernment for our earthly fathers, may we choose today to forgive anything we’ve held against them in our hearts (even rightly so) and may we rejoice that we have a Heavenly Father who will never fail nor forsake us.

#oneyearbible