Trying & Failing

Easter is rapidly approaching and Lent will be over soon. At the halfway point, I think it serves us well to revisit our Lenten commitments. I frequently hear Lenten practices compared to New Year’s resolutions in that people sometimes want to quit if they fail at all in the process.

New Year’s resolutions are quickly abandoned after a slip-up because the entirety of the resolution is looked at as a failure. The same happens with Lent and it is easy to give up if we look at it as a “failure” for not making it the whole forty days without a slip-up.

The reality is that we will fail repeatedly in our efforts to be better, whether it is in trying to avoid sin or in praying more fervently. If we view things as total success or total failure, we will only ever get discouraged. When we view our spiritual endeavors, or any goals for that matter, in this black and white fashion, we will ultimately be left discouraged and despairing. Success essentially becomes unattainable.

If success is unattainable, why even try? The reality is that our honest effort to be holier and sin less is success in and of itself. Our daily dedication to this mission is the success story, not the minutes prayed or sins committed. This does not give us an excuse to be lazy or to refrain from challenging ourselves, but it does give us the opportunity to see ourselves as more than simply successes and failures.

If you find yourself giving up on Lent because of a few mistakes, consider reflecting on Psalm 73:26.