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By R.A. Mathews

A hijacking occurred in the South recently. In a little country town at the Methodist Church.

鈥淗ijacking 101鈥� isn鈥檛 taught in seminary 鈥� a pastor is never going to be prepared. But this minister rose to the occasion. He stepped toward the outlaw and invited the boy to pray.

I couldn鈥檛 see as well as others at the scene, but I suspect everyone in that congregation wondered what would happen next.聽

The desperado clearly had been raised in a Christian home. Immediately, he bowed his head 鈥� all of his three-year-old self.聽

To be clear, the tow-haired tyke had hijacked the children鈥檚 sermon, effervescing with one comment after another, the pastor unable to get a word in edgewise. But the little guy surrendered when asked to pray.

鈥淭hank you,鈥� the boy began, 鈥渇or food … and … the church … and … my toys … and . . 鈥� It went on and on.聽

He was a thankful child.聽

The little guy finished and abruptly turned. He was also not a novice鈥攑rayer meant children鈥檚 time was over. He raced down the aisle to his proud parents, and the whole church grinned.

Laughter erupted again when the pastor began the sermon. In addition to tiny-tyke hijackings, the minister said seminary hadn鈥檛 prepared him for hospital visitations.聽

鈥淧atients tend to undress!鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important I see their scars.鈥� He segued into a different kind of scar 鈥� emotional ones. Our failures.

I leaned forward. Who can鈥檛 relate to this?聽

As he preached, famous failures came to mind. Dick Cheney flunked out of Yale 鈥� twice. Jerry Seinfeld was jeered off stage at his first comedy club.

Remember the evaluation of Fred Astaire after an audition? 鈥淐an鈥檛 act. Can鈥檛 sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little.鈥�

Harrison Ford was told he couldn鈥檛 make it, and Marilyn Monroe was advised by modeling agents to become a secretary.

Steven Spielberg failed to get into film school at USC three times. In fact, he never got in.

Stephen King鈥檚 鈥淐arrie鈥� was rejected thirty times, and Monet was mocked for impressionism. Just amazing!

Elvis was fired from the Grand Ole Opry and told, 鈥淵ou ain鈥檛 goin鈥� nowhere, son.鈥� What if he had stopped singing?

Harry Truman鈥檚 business went bankrupt. Henry Ford failed five times until he finally succeeded with his Ford Motor Company.

Think Macy鈥檚 department store, think seven unsuccessful businesses beforehand.

Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard and his first company, Traf-O-Data, failed. Obviously he didn鈥檛 quit.

Colonel Sander鈥檚 famous chicken recipe was rejected over a thousand times before succeeding.

Walt Disney was told he 鈥渓acked imagination.鈥� He also didn鈥檛 let bankruptcy after bankruptcy stop him.

Einstein was deemed mentally handicapped.

The Wright brothers failed repeatedly with their flying machines. Nobel-prize winning Churchill flunked out of school in the sixth grade and was defeated at every try for public office before he was elected Prime Minister. And perhaps the most famous failure was Thomas Edison who made one thousand tries at the light bulb. What if he鈥檇 quit at the six hundredth failure? Could anyone have blamed him?

Michael Jordan missed more than 9,000 baskets鈥�26 of those would have been game-winning shots. He said, 鈥淚 have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.鈥�

The Methodist minister aborted the hijacking of his service that day by asking the child to pray. Prayer is also the answer to failure.

There鈥檚 one particular area of my life where I鈥檓 a complete failure. I try, I fail. I try again. I fail again. And I try yet again.聽

You reach a point where you think it鈥檚 hopeless.

After church, I talked the matter over with God and I鈥檓 starting anew. Yes, prayer will change a heart.

The prophet Jeremiah had been thrilled when part of the Law was found in the temple鈥攖he main section of Deuteronomy. He thought it would change people鈥檚 lives.聽

Subsequently, Jeremiah realized people don鈥檛 change their ways until they have a change of heart. And he knew for a heart to change you need God.

There鈥檚 comfort and hope in the words God gave Jeremiah. 鈥溾�楩or I know the plans I have for you,鈥� declares the Lord, 鈥榩lans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future鈥欌�� (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

The pastor concluded his sermon that Sunday morning by assuring his congregation that God says, 鈥淒o it again! Do it again! Do it again!鈥�

Remember, you never fail until you give up.

The Rev. Mathews (BA, MDiv, JD) is a faith columnist and the author of Reaching to God and Emerald Coast: The Vendetta. Contact her at Hello@RAMathews.com.聽

Reprinted from Reaching to God with permission. Copyright 漏 2017, 2024 R.A. Mathews. All rights reserved.