Failure is Not an Option
• Give Acknowledgements
• Explain the Theme
• Explain the history of the quote
• Explain speech
• “People fail because they don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing. What their purpose is, why they even exist. “My people perish for lack of knowledge.”
With that said, allow me to bless you with what I have learned about God and who I believe He called you to be. I do not want to sound preachy, and I do not want you to feel like I am picking on you, but because I sincerely and genuinely care about what happens to you, I need to say this.
First, you were made by God and for God, and until you accept and understand that, life will never make sense. You cannot discover why you are here and what you are supposed to be doing here by looking at yourself. You did not create you, so you cannot tell you what you were created to do. It is only through God that you will discover your purpose, your identity, your meaning, your significance, or your destiny. Don’t believe me, look around you. The path that you took led you here. There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end is death. It’s time you clarified your values, set some goals, figured out what you’re good at, disciplined yourself and go for it. You cannot wait until they call your number to “pack up” and then you decide. From the day you stepped foot in this place you should have been asking yourself, “What am I going to differently, how do I get the knowledge, skills and training to do what it is I need to do, and who do I know who can help me?”
Second, your life was not an accident. Your parents may not have planned to have you, but it was not really up to them. God used them to bring you forth. You were created for a purpose; one that God had before your parents even knew each other. I say this because I want you to move outside that box you call blame and start looking at you. Stop blaming your parents, your teachers, your wife, the government, and your homies, for the path you made a conscious decision to take. You made up in your mind that you were going to do whatever it was that got you here. You did that!
Nothing can make up for you not knowing your purpose and I strongly believe that’s how and why so many people are facing the trials they face today. But, it’s time to let go of the guilt. Let go of the resentment and anger. Let go of the fear of what you don’t understand. Let go of the materialism (the best car, the best clothes, the best jewelry, the best house.) Let go of the need for approval… because those people who follow the crowd will eventually get lost in it.
One key to failure is trying to please everybody. It can’t be done. You will never please everybody. But failure is not an option, so create plan B, create a plan C and move. Do not continue to labor (exist) with no purpose. Do not continue to expend your strength in vain and for nothing. Your greatest tragedy will not be being locked up, it will not even be dying, it will be living your life without ever knowing your purpose. When you live your life on purpose, what is important to you changes. All the things you thought were important, the things money can buy, you soon realize don’t mean a thing. There are eternal consequences to everything you do on earth. Too many people are thinking in the short term, I may not be here to see tomorrow, so let me get mine in now. There is far more to life than just today. It’s sad because most people only think about eternity at a funeral. Death will certainly come. No man knows the time or the hour when the Son of Man will come. Are you prepared?
Third, the way you see your life, shapes your life. How you define who you are… determines… everything that happens to you. If I asked you to paint me a picture of your life up to today, what would I see? Whatever you paint, it is what you think, feel and believe about who you are. It is your description of how life works and what you expect to receive from it. It determines your expectations, your values, your relationships, your goals, and your priorities.
At some point, you will have to get a grip on life and make a concerted (determined, resolute) difference between ideal (what “seems” right to you) and truth (what’s real). You will have to challenge what people have always told you was truth, and replace it with godly wisdom. God said, “And be not conformed (try to fit it, try to measure up to it’s standards) to this world (what everyone else is doing, following the crowd), but be transformed (changed, converted, made over) by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove (know, accept, believe beyond a shadow of a doubt) what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Life is a test. Your character, your faith (what you believe in), your love, your integrity, and your loyalty will be tested. Major changes, delayed promises, the impossible, unanswered prayer, undeserved criticism, and senseless tragedy, was all a test in an effort to develop your character. Every day is an important day… but every second is a growth opportunity to develop your character, to demonstrate love, or to surrender and depend on God. In this life, you will have many trials and tribulations, but be of good courage, because you can (you have the power, strength and ability to) overcome them all. There has never been a temptation presented to man that he has also not been given a way of escape.
Think about all those things you did…someone or something was there saying, no, don’t do that, turn away, leave, reconsider. But, you did it anyway. That thought, that page, that cell phone call, that distraction, was your way of escape, but you ignored it. With every decision comes consequence.
Nevertheless, be of good cheer, victory comes through adversity. Rely on what you have learned from this experience. You’ve got to come to a place where you decide what you want out of life. Good or bad. If being caged up, always fighting for your rights, for your integrity, for your maleness, is your truth, so be it. It’s up to you. But I challenge you…Figure out who you are, define you, write it down, read it everyday, stand on it, and don’t let anyone tell you any differently. As Tyler Perry said in one of his movies, it’s not what people call you; it’s what you answer to. What is your worth? What is your value?
Find positive people who bring positive influence to an otherwise negative situation. What fellowship hath light with darkness…none because the light (the positive) will always win. Be the light. Light always extinguishes darkness. You are the light. Look around you. Who are you hanging out with; who do you call friend? Who is the light in the friendship? You are the light. If you can’t tell, there’s probably no light there. But, there should be because it’s you. Move. No body can see where he’s going with his eyes closed, or with eyes in the back of his head (hindsight). That’s why God created you with eyes in the front of your head. Why? Because failure was never an option for Him.
Move forward and never look back.
Accept your whole self for you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You can succeed, you can work, you can achieve. Why? Because failure is not an option.
People who succeed don’t quit. They keep going, they keep pressing toward the goal, the word “no” doesn’t exit to them; slammed doors don’t hurt their feelings, instead those slammed doors empower them, give them the strength and courage to be better, to be wiser, to man up and move on to their plan b, until they succeed. Why? Because failure is not an option.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself and stop blaming everyone for everything that’s wrong with you or that happened to you. Hold your head up…you are a man…act like one. Act like you are the foundation of the family…act like you are the foundation for this country…God gave you a charge. Accept it and prosper. Why? Because failure is not an option.
You are a man. Tall, proud, strong, courageous, powerful, smart, a provider, a protector…take your place and set your face like flint against those who would dare to say anything differently. The Bible eludes to the truth that, when you were a child, you talked like a child (didn’t know any cuss words, or how to disrespect people with that tongue), you understood as a child (you trusted, you relied upon, you believed) you thought like a child (you were happy, life was fun, you had friends and the world was intrinsically a good place) BUT…when you became a man, you put away those childish things (now, you stand up straight, you look people in the eye when they talk to you, you extend your hand as a courtesy to let people know you mean business, you improved your vocabulary and used the right word in the right situation, you had integrity and came through on promises).
For now, you see in a mirror, though dimly, who you have the potential to become. And, when you attain your purpose, I promise, you will more clearly see what your hard work, sacrifice, and experiences created.
See, when you were a child, you liked to fight…but you’re a man now. When you were a child, you whined and complained about everything that was wrong and that didn’t go your way…but, you’re a man now. When you were a child, you thought it was okay to walk around with your pants hanging off your behind…but, you’re a man now. When you were a child, you could get away with not combing your hair, or taking a shower, or brushing your teeth…but, you’re a man now. When you were a child, you thought it was funny and cute to play tricks on people…but, you’re a man now. When you were a child, you thought it was okay to run and tell mama everything your brother was doing…but, you’re a man now. When you were a child, you thought it was okay to say anything you wanted to say out of your mouth, regardless of who might hear you, or be hurt by what you said…but, you’re a man now. When you were a child, you thought it was okay to take stuff that wasn’t yours…but you’re a man now. When you were a child, you thought you could punch or smack little girls because you thought that let them know that you liked them…but you’re a man now. When you were a child, you believed that when a girl said no, she really meant yes…but you’re a man now. When you were a child, you thought church was boring, a place you went to socialize and meet girls, but you’re a man now. When you were a child, you liked hanging out with a bunch of other boys, creating havoc and getting into trouble...It was fun, then, but you’re a man now. When you were a child, you learned that boys liked girls, and any other type of relationship was unacceptable. But, you’re a man now, and you still hold that fact as truth. It’s what you know and grew up believing, so it’s what you practice regardless of your circumstances or your situation. You practice that belief because you have a wife, a child, or a mother back at home waiting on you, and as a man, you care about what happens to them more than you care about yourself. Why? Because failure can NEVER be an option.
And as a man, please believe that not everybody is going to like you; that people are going to judge you, talk about you; everybody is not going to celebrate you; people are going to forget your name, your number and your birthday…so what. On the other hand, realize that some people will always remember you for the bad stuff you did, the stuff you stole; they will remember the hurt you caused and the hearts you broke; but that does not mean you deserve to be loved any less or to love any less. You need to love yourself when no one else can. You need to love yourself when no one else will. Love yourself because God loves you, and He said redemption and salvation belong to you. Seek forgiveness and be willing to forgive. Let all that other stuff go. It’s happened. There are no do over’s. Let it go. Rise above it. It’s going to hurt, but that’s okay because as a man you realize that you can’t stay stuck in one place, you have to move. Learn to live your life on purpose. Why? Because failure is not an option.
In closing, please remember to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials (when tests, ordeals, hardships, pain, suffering, trouble, misery, distress, worries, difficulties come your way ), knowing that the testing of your faith—because its only a test-- produces patience (endurance, fortitude, staying power). But, let patience have its perfect work (don’t buck, let the test produce what it was meant to produce which is character and integrity), so that you may be perfect (ideal, just the right way) and complete, lacking nothing.” Why? Because failure is not an option.
And finally …do not lose heart (Don’t ever give up). Even though your outward man is perishing, yet, the inward man is being renewed day by day. “For, your light affliction, which is but, for a moment, is working for you, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Why? Because failure CAN NEVER be an option.
God Bless You.
