Who errs and mends, to God himself commends.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

A rooster's crow pierced the heart of the frightened and derelict disciple. One glance at the Master's expression, and all Peter could do was weep bitterly.

Yet Peter is not remembered as a man of tears and failure. Certainly he filled his quota of mistakes. Previously, his brief trek on the water turned into treading water, and later Paul would rebuke him publicly for his snub of the Hellenistic Christians. Still Peter stands in our minds as the rock — a venerated founder of the church.

Why? Because Peter learned to face failure. Failure wasn't the end for Peter; it was merely one milestone. Other more significant monuments marked the greater course of his life, overshadowing the lesser markers of mistakes. He who tried big, blundered big, but he continued on. And we are all blessed because of it.

Biting the Bullet

Richard Kew, an Episcopal rector, discovered that failure wears a dread countenance. A couple of years ...