Fear of Failure
Joe Slater
	Courage is not the absence of fear, but the conquest of it. Of all the fears we must overcome, fear of failure is one of the most common. In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25), Jesus told of two servants who took their master’s money, conducted business wisely, and earned a significant profit for him. A third, however, hid the money in the ground and gave it back when the master returned. Rebuked for his fruitlessness, the servant pleaded, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man . . . And I was afraid . . .” (25:24, 25). Among his other problems, this man was afraid of failure.
	Being afraid to fail can be a good thing – it can motivate us to work diligently so that we successfully complete the task. Too often, though, fear of failure paralyzes us so that we do not even try. Someone said, “The one thing worse than a quitter is someone who is afraid to start.” The awkward lad doesn’t ask the pretty young lady for a date – “What if she says ‘No’?” The bottom-rung employee doesn’t apply for the higher position – “What if I can’t do the job?”
	Fear of failure affects the church, too. How tragic, that such fear is evident even in our humor! We joke about the two standard excuses for rejecting every program of work: “We’ve never done that before,” and “We tried that once, but it didn’t work.” Aside from laziness and pessimism, both of those excuses betray our fear of failure.
	Innumerable souls delay obedience to the gospel. “What if I can’t live the Christian life?” Folks who have been in the body of Christ for years decline to participate in any way other than attendance. “What if I say or do something wrong?” “Me, teach a class? Oh, no – what if someone asks a question I can’t answer?” “Lead a song? Oh, no – what if I hit a wrong note?” Countless Christians have never spoken to a lost soul about the gospel. “What if he becomes angry? What if he states an objection I can’t answer?” Just look at the volume of trouble we borrow when we go to the Bank of Doubt – and the collateral on that loan is our fear of failure!
	All of us fear failure; but let us put that fear to good use as a motive to work diligently and to do our best! We must not allow fear of failure to keep us from trying to be profitable servants for our Lord. Remember, the greatest mistake you can make in this life is to be constantly fearful you will make one.
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What If?
God couldn’t take time to bless us today because we couldn’t take time to thank Him yesterday?
God decided to stop leading us tomorrow because we did not follow Him today?
We never saw another flower bloom because we grumbled when God sent the rain.
God took away the Bible tomorrow because we did not read it yesterday?
The door of the church building was closed because we didn’t open the door of our heart?
God stopped taking care of us because we stopped taking care of others.
God would not hear us today because we would not listen to Him yesterday?
God answered our prayers the way we answer His call for service?
		--via The North Carolina Messenger
Our Hoary Heads
“They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and green: To show that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him” (Psalm 92:14, 15).
	Senior Saints. Grandagers. Whatever you call us, we make up a large portion of the church. Our hair may be white, and our feet may not carry us as swiftly as they used to. But don't laugh. They  have carried us through places in life where many dare not tread.
	We have borne children and nursed them through illnesses. We taught our children about God and held their hands through trials. We worked hard to provide and care for them. Death may have taken one from us, but we hold onto God's hand, and we don't let go.
	If you sit behind us in worship, you may notice our voices get shakier and our hands tremble as we hold the hymn book. We may not stand for a song or prayer. But you know that we are there, for we cannot forsake our God. We can testify that He has never forsaken us.
	Maybe we sit alone. Perhaps we still cannot sit on the end of the pew, but we save a spot. You see, they are not missing. They are in our hearts. We hear them calling, and we feel God's hand on our hoary heads. He is leading us homeward. He says, "Come, my child.  I have prepared a place for you." Full of faith in Him, we press onward.
	Don't let go of us yet. We'll work as long as we can. Lean on us, and we will encourage you. Talk to us, for we have to tell you how God led us and cared for us. Our hearts sing His praises. Our God has done great things. Even though our heads are hoary, He does not forsake us.
		--Donna Richmond Wittlif (Denver, CO)