REXBURG— Failure comes in the form of sin, but it also comes in the form of righteous failure. That’s the message Jennie Pardoe gave today about the importance of righteous failure for personal growth.
She said sometimes people avoid taking actions in fear of failure, even when they can grow from those failures.
“I think about times where I didn’t take the hardest class maybe because I was scared of what the grade would be, but there are opportunities that we miss out on when we fear failure more than we have faith in the Lord,” Pardoe said in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio.
Pardoe said allowing the atonement of Jesus Christ to work in listeners' lives when they make mistakes can also lead to growth.
“Just like the atonement covers our sins when we repent and turn to the Lord, it covers those disappointments and it helps us learn and to grow from them,” Pardoe said in the interview.
Pardoe shared the story from the Book of Mormon of Nephi and his brothers returning to Jerusalem to acquire the brass plates from King Laban.
The brothers failed twice before retrieving the plates in the third attempt. The brothers turned to the Lord in the last attempt, accepting His wisdom in overcoming their challenge.
Pardoe said the Lord did not allow them to succeed right away, because they needed to learn to trust in Him first.
“...the Lord allowed Nephi and his brothers to grow from their failures. The failure to obtain the plates in their first two efforts pushed them to trust in the Lord more than their own understanding. He would provide a way for His commandment to be achieved, even when it seemed impossible,” Pardoe said in her devotional address.
Pardoe said keeping the Lord involved in decisions will help people grow, even if they make mistakes or fail in the beginning.
She challenged all BYU-Idaho students and devotional listeners to take a risk in doing something that intimidates them, like taking a difficult class, asking someone on a date, auditioning for an ensemble, making art or working on a difficult problem.
In closing her talk, Pardoe said, “The Lord will magnify the efforts and will heal, through His Atonement, that which needs mending. You will never break beyond the Savior’s ability to repair you.”
You can listen to more messages from upcoming devotionals on KBYI 94.3 FM or stream them live Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m. at BYU-Idaho Devotionals.