The Search for Significance

40 The Search For SignificanceINTERPRETATION OF SCOREIf your score is...57-70God apparently has released you from the fearof failure that plagues most people. The major exceptionsto this are those who are either greatlydeceived or have become callous to their own emotionsas a way to suppress the pain.47-56The fear of failure rarely or only in certainsituations controls your experiences. Again, theonly major exception involves those who are nothonest with themselves.37-46When you experience emotional problems, theymay relate to a sense of failure or some form ofcriticism. In looking back, you can probably relatemany of your decisions to this fear. Many of yourdecisions in the future will also be affected by thefear of failure unless you take direct action toovercome it27-36Not only is the above category true of your experiences,but this fear of failure forms a generalbackdrop to your life. There are probably fewdays that you are not affected in some way by thefear of failure. Unfortunately, this also robs youof the joy and peace your salvation was meant tobring.0-26Experiences of failure dominate your memoryand have probably resulted in a great deal of depression.These problems will remain until somedefinitive action is taken. In other words, thiscondition will not simply disappear; time alone

The Performance Trap 41cannot heal your pain. You must deal with theroot issue.THE EFFECTS OF THE FEAR OF FAILUREAs long as we operate according to Satan's plan,we are susceptible to the fear of failure. Our personalexperience of this fear is determined by thedifference between our performance standardsand our ability to meet those standards.Although we experience the fear of failure, wemust also remember that God wants us to be freefrom this fear so that we will be able to honorHim more and more. For our benefit, He allowscircumstances in our lives to enable us to recognizeour blind adherence to Satan's deceptions.Many times, these circumstances seem very negative,but through them, we can learn valuable,life-changing truths. In Psalm 107:33-36, we see apoetic example of this:"He changes rivers into a wilderness.And springs of water into a thirstyground; A fruitful land into a salt waste,Because of the wickedness of those whodwell in it. He changes a wilderness intoa pool of water, and a dry land intosprings of water; And there He makesthe hungry to dwell, So that they mayestablish an inhabited city."Has your fruitful land become a salt waste?Maybe God is trying to get your attention to teachyou a tremendously important lesson: that successor failure is not the basis of your self-worth.Maybe the only way you would learn that lesson isby experiencing the pain of failure. In His greatlove, God leads us through experiences that aredifficult, but essential to our growth and development.