Will God Make Failures?

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Madaglan

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Hmm… I suppose the title of my thread can be taken in many ways. :yup:

Anyhow, are the failures that we experience in life God’s way of veering us in a certain vocational direction?
 
I suppose I have a different perspective on this because I have had many instances in my life which could be termed “failures” by people, but I’ve learned that they are not failures. They were great learning experiences for me, and I have come out a much better person now than if I had not been through them.

I’ve had trouble in school in the past because of anxiety and depression issues, and, at the time, I felt like I was doing the absolute worst I could be doing. I gave up at the crossroads and just decided to settle for 2nd best. I got various jobs in my life that I did not have any stock in and I hated going to work each day. I left many jobs without giving my two weeks notice, and was in and out from place to place. None of them had what I was looking for.

I felt empty and unsure of where to turn. I had lost my faith in everything, and I did feel like a failure for much of the time. But a miracle happened. My mom saw that I was unhappy and decided to send me on a retreat with some Catholic Young Adults. It was there that I found God in my heart, and I met some beautiful religious brothers, sisters and priests, and just fell in love with the Catholic Church. I saw that I could be better, and I decided that I really wanted to give everything over to God and let Him be my constant. Instead of being a victim, I wanted to be a survivor. I started discerning at that same time. 😃

I’ve been unemployed for 2 years now. Last year, I decided to get off my anti-depressant and go back to school. I wanted to become a Nursing Assistant and eventually a Licensed Practical Nurse or a Registered Nurse because I loved taking care of other people. I persevered and came out on top, as the top student in the class. I passed every exam, and I gained self-esteem because I was showing everyone, but most importantly, myself and God, that I COULD do it! I am now a Certified Nursing Assistant and I had a job interview yesterday for a position as a Patient Care Technician at a prestigious long-term acute care hospital. I am very confident and no longer need medication to balance my moods.

I understand my life has had it’s battles and has been much like a rollercoaster, but I have become a stronger person because of it. God has shown me that amongst the thorns, there are many roses and they smell very sweet. 😉 I’m continuing discernment, and I have even learned from that as well. I thought I was called to be a Carmelite (in fact, I was very certain about it for quite some time), but I discovered that my heart is with the Franciscans. I don’t quite know what’s going to happen in the future. I’m just taking it one step at a time. I’m discerning with the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, and I’m planning to go back to get my license as a Practical Nurse. I’m very happy.
Be of good cheer. Do not think of today’s failures,
but of the success that come tomorrow. You have set
yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere;
and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles.
–Helen Keller
Click to expand...
😃
 
God makes amazing people, because we are all in his image. Now we have this little thing I like to call Free Will. God can GUIDE us, but not RUN our lives (well I mean He can…but He doesn’t:) ). You choose your own path, and it may cause you to fail, and usually God takes those opportunities to show you He is who your path should be heading to. That has always been my take on the subject of failing :).
 
Hey Mags,

What a great question! I can tell that you are really someone who is seeking to do God’s will. Know that you will be greatly rewarded for this desire. Also, I think you’re basic intuition is right, sometimes failing to get what we thought we wanted, gives us what we really want. Isn’t that a great way to fail? Sounds like true success to me… Then again there are times when failure means that we need to try something new, or try again. Do you know the story of the stone-cutter?

A stone-cutter goes out one day to a boulder with his hammer and chisel and gives the giant rock his best swing. BLAM! And nothing happens. Not even a scratch. So he does it again. Still nothing. He whacks again and again, dozens even hundreds of times. After 1000 hits the rock remains as it was before. The stone-cutter will not be denied. What else can he do? He’s a stone-cutter. So he just keeps going. He continues and on the 1009th hit the whole thing splits open. Did the stone cutter fail 1008 times? No. That continual pressure on the stone is what allowed the rock to split open on 1009.

As Escrivà says: “So you have failed. I tell you, you cannot fail. You have gained experience.”

Every situation gives us new information. What I’m trying to say is, “there are no failures, only results.” Don’t change your hearts desire on a whim, but don’t be afraid to change how you go after your hearts desire if what you’re doing is not working AND you’re sure that you can make better progress in another way.

I hope this helps. I’m always available if you want to go a little more into detail.

In Christ,

Brother Scott
Seminarian
Apostles of the Interior Life, Rome
 
Yes, failures can be part of God’s providence that leads us to where he wants us in the end. Pius XII speaking about vocation (2nd quote) gives the example of a woman who wants to marry, but can’t, and thereby finds her vocation to a single life dedicated to service. I think the example can be extended more generally.
 
I suppose, from our perspective, we may interpret things God has done for us as “personal failures.” However, in the big picture, God granted them to us so that we could grow in love–they aren’t really failures in that sense then, because they’re directing us towards a noble purpose.
 
Right after I got my M.A., I taught at a Catholic high school for a year. I thought that it would be a great way to gain experience and eventually teach at the college level. Well, the year was miserable, and although I learned a lot and finished through the year, I felt that I had failed. I was “let go,” not on a bad standing, but with the message that high school teaching is not for me.

I returned to live at home, and about 10 months ago started working at a local bank. However, although I do my best, always show up early for work, am careful and conscientious, etc., I’m told that I’m doing all kinds of things wrong–it’s like a laundry list of things. I feel very frustrated and don’t know what to do next. I’m keeping my eyes open for jobs, but when I look at ads online and in the paper, I feel downcast, 1) because of the shortage of jobs, 2) because everything seems so out of my field. I graduated with English and Theology, and most of the jobs are business, financial, medical, etc.
 
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