From Failing to Thriving

Over the holiday weekend, I had a failure moment. It was going to be my boys’ first time skiing. We bundled up and drove to the Poconos only to discover my scheduling mistake. My husband and I had lessons that day, but my boys had lessons the next day – yikes! Because the programs were already booked beyond capacity, all we could do was drive home. They were devastated.

We often try very hard not to disappoint those around us and not to fail personally. In the realm of parenting, this has given rise the phenomenon of helicopter parenting for one. An upcoming guest on my parenting TV series, Chaos to Calm, wants to challenge this protective tendency. Jessica Lahey argues that experiencing failure can actually set our children up for future success. Her book, The Gift of Failure, has subsequently become a NYT’s best-seller.

Faith tells us that failure isn’t so bad either. For one, we know that no one is perfect; that’s why Jesus came to Earth in the first place. Second, it gives us the opportunity to practice redemption with one another through forgiveness. If you’ve ever sought and received honest to goodness forgiveness, you know how transformative it can be. Therefore, the best gift we can give our children isn’t perfection – it’s the ability to model real, messy, yet redemptive community through Jesus Christ.

On that note, I want to invite you to experience several upcoming opportunities in the realm of faith and failure. First, January’s episode of Chaos to Calm is entitled “The Calm of Building Faith Foundations.” I’m delighted to welcome popular children's book author Laura Sassi as my guest.  Laura’s touching personal story and faith-sharing tricks as an educator will inspire you to build faith foundations in your children. PLUS, her publisher Zonderkidz will be giving away over a dozen books that will make faith sharing meaningful and fun – whether your child is a youth or teen! Find out how to win these books by tuning into the show on Tuesday, January 24^th at 9 PM EST on HomeTowne TV (Channel 33/Verizon and 36/Comcast).

Second, NYT’s best-selling author Jessica Lahey will be my guest in February. “The Chaos of Childhood Failure!” will air on February 21^st at 9 PM EST on HomeTowne TV (Channel 33/Verizon and 36/Comcast). Before that, I’ll be preaching on Jessica’s material and how it intersects our faith at the February 12^th WAVE service at 5 pm in the auditorium.

Please note that both Chaos to Calm episodes will be available on demand after their initial airdate through my website by clicking here. That link is also a great way to catch up on old episodes. There is no shame (or failure) involved in binge watching these, friends!

--Pastor Noelle Kirchner, Parish Associate