Musing… ‘Change only happens through failure’ (Brian McLaren in ‘Do I stay Christian?’)
I enjoyed the story in yesterday’s paper:
Kerry Carty from Stockport paid 50p for a tombola ticket at her six-year-old daughter’s school fair. She won a bottle of red wine. …Success! Kerry said: ‘I don’t know anything about wine. I never drink it as is gives me headaches.’ …Failure!
She looked the label up online, found it was a classic 1982 Bordeaux, put it on the auction site ‘Bid for Wine’, and sold it for £185! Success!
It’s good when apparent failure become success, but ‘change only happens through failure’?
Yesterday was A-level results day. On television we saw delighted eighteen-year-olds, who’d achieved their required grades, looking forward to the university of their choice. I chatted to Jonny. His results weren’t good. Whether change will happen through Jonny’s ‘failure’ remains to be seen.
Musing… friends who’ve come out of addiction…
- …the heroin addict who lost all of her friends and had her children taken from her…
- …the gambling addict whose huge debt meant he couldn’t afford Christmas presents and holidays for his children…
- …the secret sex addict who was finally caught out by his wife…
… may say ‘when I reached my lowest point I realised I had to change…’
McLaren further explains ‘change through failure’: ‘If you want birth, you have to go through labour that feels like it’s killing you. If you want a new genesis of diversity and beauty, you have to accept that things might look absolutely hopeless at first…’
Musing… John Newton the slave-ship captain… discovering Christian faith… writing:
‘Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind, but now I see…
…Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home.’
Newton knew change through failure… I’m still musing… For friends? For me?
malcolmsmusings.org 
I once started a business in which I knew less then I thought I did. When it became obvious to me I hired an experienced guy who knew, and was willing to teach me the business end as well as the product end. The success of my failure was this guy had the personality of a mad bull and I listened the first time. I had no other choice.
He is still one of my best friends and will do anything for me (still a crusty guy). I found out he had no friends except for a very loyal wife (kind of like him). Win win for us in life, 30 years and still great friends even though I don’t like him sometimes.
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Good example – thanks Gary. Looking back I certainly learnt important lessons from difficult times. I learnt most about being a good boss from working for a bad boss…..
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