There is a peanuts cartoon where a fly ball is hit to Lucy. Lucy lines up under the ball to catch it, but at the last moment moves out of the way and the ball drops to the ground. She then goes to Charlie Brown and says, “I thought I had it, but suddenly I remembered all the others I’ve missed. The past got in my eyes.”

Sometimes past mistakes can keep us from trying again or prevent success from occurring. We need to remember that God has designed us for a wonderful purpose. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10.

​ When we focus on God’s Word and promises in our lives, we can be encouraged to keep learning and keep improving. Paul in Colossians 3:2 implores us to Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. The message from God, who is omnipresent, is that He will always be with us. With God’s help we can pursue God pleasing goals and not be discouraged by failure. As Jesus stated, “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23.

​We were created to give God glory and we do this by honoring God with how we spend our time and resources. When we approach life with a growth mindset we will strive to do our best. As we grow in our knowledge of God, it affects all aspects of our lives. Our desire for improvement comes from God so that we can better serve Him.

Having a growth mindset means willing to be uncomfortable at times. In seeking to learn or try new things, there will be times of failure. Failure is okay. It just means that learning is occurring and with continued focused effort it will lead to improvement!

​There was an ad several years ago by the clothing company, American Giant. The company’s goal is to make the greatest sweatshirt ever made. The ad talks about the importance of willing to be uncomfortable.