Last year, I attended a workshop about church growth that was truly inspirational. It wasn’t until later that I realized why I liked the speaker so much. Where so many other workshop leaders highlight their amazing successes, this guy loved to tell stories about all the times he’d failed. Not only was it relatable and funny – but it was also educational. We were able to learn from his mistakes.
One of the many things I learned that day is that if I’m the hero of every story I tell, then pretty soon people are going to stop listening. We all know that no one gets it right 100 percent of the time. Living a life of faith is “on the job training.” We have to figure it out as we go – and we don’t get to see what’s coming next.
As disciples of Jesus, we know there are certain strategies that work nearly every time. For instance, loving others and putting others’ needs before our own works in almost every conceivable situation. But if you try hard and still get it wrong, don’t worry! Now you’ve got a great story to tell that people will actually want to hear!