When You’re Feeling Like a Failure by Jennifer Wier

by Rachael Adams | Jul 14, 2022 | The Love Offering Guest Blog Series

Not long after graduation, I began my first job as a triage counselor at a community mental health center. I considered it a sacred gift that, each day, individuals from all walks of life would step through my door and share their stories with a courageous vulnerability that made me ache to do something to alleviate their pain. It’s hard to hold out peace to those around you, though, when your own heart is unsettled. I may have been sitting in the seat of a professional, but I was full of insecurities myself, not just about my career but about all of my shortcomings.

On this particular morning, I was running late. I furiously brushed the snow from my windshield, angry with myself for failing at the simple task of getting out the door on time. It played like a repeat of countless other mornings, and I scolded myself for my procrastinating tendencies as I headed to work, where I would devote my day to offering hope to people who needed to know, in the midst of their struggles, that their worth was undiminished. I didn’t feel like enough.

I continued to berate myself for not having it all together, when suddenly, in the quiet of the morning snow, God spoke to me. “Your worth is not in your ability to be on time,” He said.

I knew this inaudible voice was His, and although I didn’t fully believe the words yet, I knew they were true. I just couldn’t grasp how I could separate my worth from my chronic tardiness because it made me lose respect for myself. I had been letting my failures tell me who I was, but God was telling me, clear as day, that my worth is not tied up in my performance at all.

“What is my worth in, then, God?” I asked. “I know it’s supposed to be in You somehow, but I don’t get it. Who am I?” I’d been a Christian for years, yet in that moment I realized I had never truly understood what it means to find my worth solely in Him.

Who am I? I asked this of the God of the universe, the God who made me, and He answered, in that still, small voice with words that did not come from me. “You are Created,” He said, “and you are Redeemed.” Only two words, but they were enough of an answer for a lifetime.

God had spoken, and I couldn’t argue. I had to agree with Him. “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:14, ESV). If everything good about me, from my talents to my quirks to the fact that I am breathing, I can attribute to the fact that the God of creation lovingly fashioned me that way, and if everything about me that is broken or flawed has been covered over by the blood of Jesus and is being made new, what on earth could I have to feel hopeless or insecure about?

Friend, when your failures try to tell you who you are, will you stop and consider that you were knit together on purpose by the God of the universe, the One who thought you were worth making and the One who doesn’t make mistakes? When your insecurities rise up and object, as they often will, will you acknowledge that Jesus took all your sins and failures upon himself and wiped your slate clean? And in those moments when you can’t get yourself to remember or believe those things, will you simply cry out to God? He will tell you who you are: You are Created, and you are Redeemed.

About the Author:

Jennifer Wier is a writer, professional counselor, military wife, and mom of four currently stationed in the wilds of Alaska. She regularly writes about the intersection of life and faith at www.jenniferwier.com, where she encourages both her readers and herself to keep their eyes on eternity and to fully embrace both the sweet, sweet grace of Jesus and His call to holiness.