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FAILURE: A smarter response June 25, 2025 |
June 2025 Time for a smarter response to failure
The Sports Model of failure—everything is a contest, which means there must be a winner and a loser—has been around for centuries. Any coach will tell you this approach toughens people up and makes them competitive for the 'real world.'
But it doesn't serve anyone well, especially single people. Why didn't Jesus of Nazareth, the wisest man who ever lived, see people as losers or failures? Could it be that life is not a competition at all? Many of you reading this have chosen to follow the Christian path. It's a hard and rocky road, where every believer stumbles and falls, gets back up with God's help, and only reaches their destination through the grace and mercy of the Lord. This month we look at a smarter response to failure, leaving the world's standards behind to concentrate on what Jesus says is important. Here's that
article.
CockleburA cruel remark,a tasteless joke, a passing cloud, a wisp of smoke. But something makes it It scrapes and scratches, But there's a way Only God No regrets are A healed heart ~ Jack Zavada, www.inspiration-for-singles.com, 2025 ~ Feelings of inadequacy hold singles back
In this article, read how I discovered I wasn't an ogre and found an intelligent, beautiful girlfriend (although she later dumped me).
Or, more importantly, learn how God can stop your past from controlling you. If you're one of millions of single people handcuffed by feelings of inadequacy, this short article is for you. "God wants to give you hope and a future. He loves you and will intercede in your life if you prayerfully ask him. Don't give up!" Feelings, especially feelings of inadequacy, are not facts. They are not the truth about you. When you align your feelings with what God says about you, you're on the way to a fulfilling life. Check out this uplifting call for change.
"I'll never be smarter than I am right now."
What a dumb statement, right? Every day you learn something new, and as you get older, your wisdom about life only increases.
What if you didn't have to wait? What if you could leap forward in time 30 or 40 years? What would you know then? When it comes to the single life, you'd know all the information in Hope for Hurting Singles. I was 66 years old when I wrote this book, and I packed every important life-lesson I had into its 202 pages. That means you can be smarter—lots smarter—than you are right now, without aging a year! Think of what you can do with all that new-found experience. You can amaze your friends. You can be the life of the party. You can be a real-life superhero! Or, realistically, you can live a quietly happier life, avoiding dead ends and bad decisions because you'll be able to foresee their consequences better. You'll understand what matters in life and what doesn't, because you've learned from someone who's been there before you. Hope for Hurting Singles. is preparation for your future, a preview of good and bad situations and how to respond to them in the wisest way. You'd think a guidebook like that would be lots more than $10.99 in paperback, but no, that's the real, incomprehensible amount.Hope for Hurting Singles.: Get really smart, really fast. June QOTM: Whose standard?June's Quote of the Month comes from Oswald Chambers, minister and author of the classic Christian devotional, My Utmost For His Highest:~ Oswald Chambers (1874 - 1917) ~ Christians can argue that Jesus Christ was the most successful human being who ever lived, securing forgiveness of sins and eternal life for every person who follows him. By our current standards, however, his life of poverty, rejection, ridicule and hate would be a total failure. It goes to show that only God is qualified to judge who is a failure and who is not. As you stagger along on your Christian way, you may feel small, neglected, and unloved at times. In the eyes of God, you are not. He cherishes you. He pays attention to the tiniest, seemingly insignificant details of your life. He loves you relentlessly until you make it home to Him, where His compassion explodes over you for the rest of eternity. God's opinion of you is the one that matters. Accept the love He has for you today. Encouraging quotes to lift your spirits
Encouraging quotations are like a long drink of ice-cold water on a hot summer day. I scoured the Internet to round up these spirit-lifters so you don't have to.
These wisdom nuggets are reminders that stinky times don't last forever (even though they seem like they do), and that God plants oases of rest if we're wise enough to stop there. Get a boost from these encouraging quotes.
No, this doesn't make you weirdSometimes we singles do something then think, "Gee. I wonder if I'm the only one who feels that way. Am I weird?"The thing I'm talking about is being afraid. If you're afraid a lot, no, it definitely does not mean you're weird. According to many surveys, if you feel anxious or afraid lately, you're like about a third of the people in the United States. They're also scared. In fact, I would submit that everybody is afraid.
No wonder. Both political parties are engaged in nonstop fear-mongering. It's one of the most powerful forms of propaganda. News outlets sensationalize every story, while social media ratchet up this atmosphere of panic. Meanwhile, one Voice of Reason stands out. He repeats today what he said 2,000 years ago: "Don't be afraid." How can Jesus give such a command? Conditions in ancient Israel were scary too, yet he kept telling people, "Don't be afraid." Jesus has always cut through the noise. When our minds are racing with the latest crisis, he breaks through and says "Don't be afraid." It would be easy to ignore him, except for two things. First, he knows the future, and second, he controls the future. He promises to stick with his people—you and me—no matter what, through calm times and nerve-wracking times like these. Most of the fear that's generated is imaginary; the dire circumstances we're warned about never happen. Look back on your worries from a year ago or five years ago, and very few of them materialized. Of those that did, you got through them. You're still here. So don't feel weird if you're afraid, but do keep your eyes on The Truth, namely Jesus. He won't manipulate you, but he will guide you, with wisdom and love. That's what we all need right now. Two very smart mottoesIn the May Inspire-O-Gram, I told you about the silly mottoes my brother Dave and I came up with in high school.My friend Dawn, in Mississippi, sent in the two mottoes she lives by now, and I think they're pretty smart: One day at a time. Those are great, aren't they? In fact, I think every single person could benefit from those two reminders. They also help with that fear problem we're all coping with. That concludes the June issue of our newsletter, friend. Thanks for reading, and if you want to send me an email, use our secure contact form, which routes it directly into my personal inbox. You'll get a reply from me in a few days. I hope you're able to enjoy summer, unless you live in the southern hemisphere, in which case it's winter right now. Well, enjoy life anyway! See
you in July,
Jack Zavada
PS: Not a Christian yet? Find out how to become a Christian.
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Christopher Bader, a professor of sociology, says "We've learned that over the last ten years, fear has become a bigger and bigger part of American society."