The failure behind you becomes fuel for the fight in front of you.
“Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.” —Jesus (Luke 7:47)
Jesus was referring to woman with a checkered past, to say the least. The religious culture rejected her. She was not welcome in their club. In fact, neither was Jesus. He had a perfect moral record, but he was disqualified (by the self-righteous) because he seemed too soft of sin. Sinners were supposed to be made to feel the shame of their decisions. Jesus didn’t roll like that.
“Her past has given her a unique perspective for her future. Just look at how she loves!”
Another way of saying it is, “leverage your story in service of others.”
People object, “are you saying there shouldn’t be consequences for sin?” Dumb. Consequences are built into every choice. I’m pretty sure that the woman’s gratitude after experiencing the unconditional love of Jesus inspired her to WANT to make better choices. The Kool-Aid she’d been drinking had a bitter aftertaste. The grace of God goes down smooth.
Let’s own our failures and poor decisions. Experiencing God’s grace is what inspires gratitude and better decisions going forward… like fuel for what’s to come.