From Failure to Failure

Winston Churchill once said, "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." I just want to point out that in the original Greek, enthusiasm meant to be inspired or possessed by a god, or, literally, to have God in you. There's a phrase people sometimes use: Failure is not an option. We don't always get to choose between failure and success. We came to this Earth to fail. We came to do a great many other things but failure is not an option. It's not something we get to miss out on by being strong or clever or likable enough. God knows we're going to fail. Failure is part of the plan and He is with us every step of the way. We could adapt Churchill's quote and say that the Plan of Salvation consists of going from failure to failure without giving up on seeking the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Success isn't a destination or an achievement as much as it is a commitment to living a life with the Lord in our hearts despite our failures and weaknesses and rebellions. The Lord never minds leaving the ninety and nine to seek for the one who is lost. It is never an inconvenience to be saved. Jesus Christ is our Savior because He saves us. It's Who He is, it's what He does. God never loses His enthusiasm for picking us up when we fall, and we should never lose our enthusiasm for striving to become like our Father in Heaven, even as we go from failure to failure.