Failure, Shame and Starting Again
Everyone Makes Mistakes
Evan Maki, Carter Dean, Sten Keplinger, Blake Dean, Ian Simonson, Jake Wittenberg | The Voice of Zion October 2026 - Round the Table article --
Everyone makes mistakes and fails. Sometimes our failures can leave us feeling ashamed, humiliated and full of doubt. Shame makes us want to hide our faults and failings. It causes us to feel too embarrassed to seek the comfort of the gospel, and to cover up our sins. But God’s forgiveness gives us hope when we fail. Proverbs 11:2 says, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (NIV).
Pride is not always a bad thing. It’s okay to have confidence and to feel satisfaction when something is done well. But pride becomes a problem when we start to think more highly of ourselves than we should. One way pride leads us to sin is how it causes us to focus on ourselves above all else. Pride can elevate us above those around us, and even above God. It can cause us to ignore wise advice, to give in to temptation, and to make decisions without considering the consequences. It can close our ears to needed correction from others and place us above others in our own minds.
On the other hand, humility helps us listen, learn, and grow. Having humility doesn’t mean we place ourselves below others. Rather, it means we open ourselves up to others. It causes us to be willing to hear what others have to say, and to consider their thoughts and viewpoint on an equal footing to our own. Humility acknowledges that none of us is perfect, nor does any one of us have all the answers. It enables us to learn, improve and mature. In short, humility cultivates wisdom.
God’s Word teaches that when we have a penitent heart, no sin is too much for God’s grace to forgive. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are freed from the weight of sin. The Gospel assures us that all our sins are forgiven in Jesus’ name and blood. Throughout time, God reminds His children to be comforted because their sins have been forgiven (Isaiah 40:1,2, 1 John 1:9). God hates sin, but He loves sinners. Through another believer we can bring our failures to God and receive His mercy. Forgiveness allows us to honestly reflect on our decisions, learn from them, and move forward. It doesn’t mean pretending our mistakes never happened. Instead of remaining trapped in guilt and shame, we can believe in God’s forgiveness and trust in His promises, and we can start over again. “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12, NIV).
As believers, our salvation is not in personal perfection. Our salvation is in Jesus Christ, who forgives us, restores us, and gives us a new beginning. No matter what mistakes we’ve made in the past, we can believe our sins forgiven and trust in God’s mercy and move forward with renewed hope. No matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done, in God’s kingdom we can always find forgiveness, comfort, and the opportunity to start again.