As we begin Holy Week, I cannot help but think of one topic we all avoid: failure. We dread this word almost as much as we dread the word death.
I am thinking of this as I watch an individual try to navigate life without admitting to weakness. And it brings to mind that Holy Week is not just about events, about celebrations, about passion, but also about failure and weakness, about human suffering and defeat. And how hard it is for us, for me, to admit or accept either.
Perhaps I think of failure as an end result. If I am a failure, then life is over. If I am weak, then I have nothing to brag about, and I am not worth anyone's attention.
Jesus took on both labels. He let himself feel the despair of suffering, failure, weakness. Why? I wonder if perhaps Jesus wanted us to remember, failure and weakness are not the end. I have the ability to rise again, beyond those events.
I am not defined by one action. I am effort, determination, and faith. I am a mixture of failure and success, strength and weakness. I am a composite, complicated, and amazingly resilient person.
Those are my thoughts as I begin this Holy Week. What are yours?
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