What would you think of a baseball player who played seven seasons without hitting the ball in fair territory? One of the best players of all time, Mickey Mantle, did the equivalent of that. His walks and strikeouts add up to more than 3,400 trips to the plate--seven seasons' worth.

Or what would you think of an inventor who failed hundreds of times in his experiments? Thomas Edison, perhaps the greatest inventor in American history, spent many long months failing before he found a filament that would stay lit in his incandescent light.

The lesson behind these experiences is clear: We have to look be-yond failures and keep persevering.

I can't think of a better example of someone who persevered despite apparent failure than the apostle Paul. His list of failures would lead most of us to quit. For one, the people in a church he founded in Corinth stumbled badly. For another, he went to prison numerous times. Throw in the shipwrecks, beatings, and betrayals (2 Cor. 11:23-27), and you could have a picture of defeat. Yet Paul's ministry is remembered for its unmistakable success.

Let's learn to look past our failures. Because of God's mercy, we need not lose heart (2 Cor. 4:1).  — Dave Branon