No Fear of Failure

by Charles R. Swindoll

The wicked flee when no one is pursuing,
but the righteous are bold as a lion.
---Proverbs 28:1

When will we ever learn that there are no hopeless situations, only
people who have grown hopeless about them?

What appears as an unsolvable problem to us is actually a rather
exhilarating challenge. People who inspire others are those who see
invisible bridges at the end of dead-end streets.

There was a Cabinet meeting in London during the darkest days of the
Second World War. France had just capitulated. Prime Minister
Churchill
outlined the situation in its starkest colors. Quite literally, the
tiny British Isles stood alone.

Grim faces stared back at him in stoic silence. Despair and thoughts
of
surrender were written in their looks. The visionary statesman
momentarily remained silent, lit a cigar, showed a hint of a smile,
and
with a twinkle in his eye, responded to that dispirited company of
officials, "Gentlemen, I find it rather inspiring." . . .

What a great line! No wonder people followed the man. Fear of failure
never entered his mind!

Excerpted from Charles R. Swindoll, Wisdom for the Way (Nashville: J.
Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2001). Copyright ©
2001 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by
permission.