It is natural to think of our success as a result of who we are and what we do.

It’s harder to accept that our failure is a result of who we are and what we do.

Most people stop at the first two.

But some of us can see that there are factors beyond our control, things that are beyond our reach no matter how hard we try. So much for the mantra “You can be anything you want!” many self-help gurus preach about.

So, it’s harder still to accept that our success is due to God, who placed us in the right place at the right time and gave us our personalities and abilities. Not so much of who we are and what we do.

It is the hardest yet, to accept that even our failure is due to God. That it is not a case of “count all victories towards God and count all the defeats as our own fault.” That God, in His wisdom, allowed all victories and defeats to be in our lives to shape us and strengthen us.

Victories puff us up, but defeats bring us back to the ground. When we are always winning in life, it is easy to go back to our natural state and think of our success being due to ourselves.

Delight and be grateful for our victories. Be comforted in our defeats. They are all God’s ways to help us grow.