Every life is but a colorful story of God unfolding His plan for the human race. It is a story of joys, sorrow, ups and downs, death and life, relationships, failures and successes. The more tragedy, the more colorful. Considering in the long haul God "works everything together for good" there are really no failures, and in the end the only success that really matters is our coming to the end of our journey in Father's heart, the place Jesus has gone to prepare for each individual.

    Now, if you feel your life is worthless and a failure and despair has set up a shrine in your heart, let us look at the lives of the people God used to change the course of History and how they are remembered as pillars in spite of, or should I say because of, their failures.

    Let us look at the life of the one we are perhaps the most familiar with — Jesus, the Christ.

    After proving Himself with performing miracles, words of life, prophetic utterances etc., He goes and gets Himself killed. However, as He obeyed the Father, all things worked together for good and He was, indeed, resurrected. Life as He knew it ended and another story began of which we are all partakers.

    How about David the king? He starts out as a lowly shepherd boy. His status as king brought up the mountains of pride, presumption, and arrogance. In his arrogance he does what is the unforgivable sin. He not only steals his friend's wife, he also has his friend killed so as to look innocent in the people's eyes. He was worse than Clinton's "I committed no sex" deception. His confession came by way of a prophet. His arrogance blinded his eyes to his own deceit.

    Did this failure and disgrace cause him to commit suicide or pout??? No indeed. Once he became aware of his seemingly unforgivable sin and how he caused heartache to others and shame to himself, he went before God with a repentant heart. He cried out to God for a new heart and a right spirit.

    Now let us look at the outcome of the seeming failure of David the king. Of course God forgives his repentant heart. His dysfunctional family is a comfort to those of us today trying to make peace in the family by writing our own script. However, because of his weakness, David has given hope to many who have gone astray. To add to this seemingly hopeless situation, God did, indeed, give David a new heart and a right spirit — a pure heart with no covetry and a spirit plugged into the glory of the God who created him.

    How about Moses?  When told by God he was to free the Israelites, first he kills the Egyptian. Sure the Egyptians were the cause of Israel's bondage. Was it his temper or did he think he was obeying God? Whatever: his impetuous nature made him take to the back side of the desert so God could prove him and use him. Did he say f--- you God and give up on his vision? No siree, he took his "time out" and used it wisely. He let God change his heart and prepare him for his visitation. To add to his misdemeanors, poor Moses trudges to the top of the mountain, gets the Ten Commandments, comes down to find out his flock has gone astray and he takes those Commandants which have guided the human race for centuries and are still written on our hearts today and he throws them to the ground in utter despair and desperation. His anger and frustration in trying to carry out God's will perhaps are what kept him out of the promised land. But did Moses fail God??? I think not, for he was on the mountain of transfiguration with Elijah and Jesus and he is perhaps the most beloved of all Bible characters, being recognized by the Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

    Now, let us look at the prize boob of the Bible. Good old Jonah. Not only did he run from God when he was called to lay his life down for God's people, but it took the heathen to spot the culprit in the boat and had no qualms of throwing him overboard as to get the wrath of God out of the boat. His "back side of the desert" experience was a trip into hell in the belly of a whale. That little trip put the fear of God in him and he ran with the message to Nineveh. And what did he do when his message brought a country to its knees? Instead of being grateful and relieved, he sits and pouts because of God's mercy on a supposed evil country. Does the story end with that failure? Indeed not, as Jonah's experience is mentioned as part of the death and resurrection of Christ. Almost all of us can identify with poor Jonah who loved his comfort and hated to be disturbed.....his seemingly big time failure just another chapter in God's Book of Life.

    Peter's jail sentence, his denial of Christ, his unstopped mouth, his Jewishness all seeming failures, are colorful chapters in the book of the one to whom Christ gave the keys to the Kingdom.

    So as life as we know it comes to an end and things seem hopeless and a big failure, just know that out of despair comes hope, and out of sorrow comes joy, out of the ashes of our life comes the beauty of holiness, and joy does come in the morning after a sometimes hopelessly long night.



Marie Kolasinski


P.S. How could I write "There are no failures in God" and forget the biggest, most talked about failure - who was so drugged, so screwed up from partying that it ate his substance - who became homeless with no food - who finally got the picture that he is not his own God - humbled himself and found his way back to His Father.  Raise your hand if that describes yourself.  So let us expect America, the biggest whore, the most arrogant country that has the substance eaten out of us by wanting from our government rather than God, suddenly come to its senses and cry out to the only one who can rescue us from ourselves.  We will then see genuine unity, dancing and partying with no desire but to do His will.  Ya -  better days will find us and we will once more see a big chapter in the fall and rise of America.