Failure Is Not An Option

16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. 17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.' 18 "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." ' 20 "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself ?' 21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:16-21 NIV)

I am so proud of the way our church is reaching out to young adults in our community, and the way they are responding. The Church in general is struggling with how to keep youth from falling through the cracks after graduation from high school. Our church has struggled, too. I was an active part of young adult ministries through two cycles of waxing and waning. During those periods of retraction which inevitably followed any period of traction I became discouraged. We were expending a lot of energy for what would be considered by the world's standards very little gain. Then, one night as I drove home from one of our gatherings for food and worship that had only three young adult participants (fewer than the number of support staff) I broke down. I was fussing with God in my spirit, holding a pity-party of epic proportions. "Why, God, are you letting this fail? Don't young adults matter to you? What about these volunteers who are even more crestfallen than me?" I wailed and moaned all the way home. 

Then, that night as I lay in bed, disappointment and frustration walling off any chance for sleep, God broke through. No, I didn't hear the audible voice of God booming from the heavens or even the still small voice of His Spirit whispering in my ear. There was, however, a very clear sense of God's presence inside and this was the message. "Was I not there tonight in your midst? Remember the 'wherever two or more are gathered' thing? Didn't one of those young adults tell you through tears that he had broken up with his girlfriend and the worship reminded him that he wasn't alone? Didn't that young woman share an insight into the Scripture from her life for, perhaps, the first time? The time you spend with me has eternal significance that cannot be measured in numbers.This was a great night for the kingdom. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and go to sleep." I did. 

Most of us are aware of the most obvious truth from the passage. We can't take it with us. Thus, we shouldn't spend so much time fretting over stuff that sickness, death, or one bad decision can rip from our fingers in an instant. But what about the corollary that can easily be missed? Things we do for God can never be taken from us and in fact are "saved to the cloud" if you will, or, indelibly inked (for those more comfortable with a Gutenberg metaphor) in the archives of heaven. Every single thing we do for God will reap some sort of harvest that will benefit someone else. In fact, the only time we ever fail in the kingdom of God, is when we fail to try. 

In the kingdom of God. failure is not an option because God is working with and through us in all that we do, And, in the kingdom, God determines the ultimate worth of the outcome. (See Romans 8:28) As we continue our journey, never miss a chance for a kingdom detour. There may be someone or a situation just around the corner that the world has labeled "Failure" that God is just waiting to stamp "Victory." All he needs is someone to try.

Blessings,
Larry