What’s Next

Our text for today is one that I have spent decades appreciating.

 Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.” Proverbs 24:16

 This verse is about what we do with failure. Will Rogers is an example of this.

Americans know who Will Rogers is. Presidents opened their doors to him. Even today speakers everywhere quote him. He did not begin with a goal of being known by politicians and quoted by speakers. Will Rogers’ stage was a vaudeville performer who had a specialty of rope tricks. One day, on stage, in the middle of his act he failed. He got tangled in is lariat. 

How does one get up from obvious failure? Here is what Will Rogers did. Instead of getting upset, he drawled, “A rope ain’t so bad to get tangled up in if it ain’t around your neck.” The audience roared. Encouraged by the warm reception, Rogers began adding humorous comments to all his performances. It was the comments, not the rope tricks, that eventually made him famous.

Even though no one strives for failure, we all fail. We have failed and will fail again. A successful life does not depend on never failing. The secret to success in life is found in God’s Word. Let’s read that verse again.

 “Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.” Proverbs 24:16

Everybody falls, but righteous people try again. Wicked people fall, but then they just wallow in their failure. Trying again and again is a trait of righteousness.

It is not the falling that defines us. It is what we do next.

Lonnie Davis