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21 " Confession is a difficult Discipline for us because we all too often view the believing community as a fellowship of saints before we see it as a fellowship of sinners. We feel that everyone else has advanced so far into holiness that we are isolated and alone in our sin. We cannot bear to reveal our failures and shortcomings to others. We imagine that we are the only ones who have not stepped onto the high road to heaven. Therefore, we hide ourselves from one another and live in veiled lies and hypocrisy.But if we know that the people of God are first a fellowship of sinners, we are freed to hear the unconditional call of God's love and to confess our needs openly before our brothers and sisters. We know we are not alone in our sin. The fear and pride that cling to us like barnacles cling to others also. We are sinners together. In acts of mutual confession we release the power that heals. Our humanity is no longer denied, but transformed. "
― Richard J. Foster , Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth
22 " It is a strange thing to realize... but our failures so often place us where we need to be. "
23 " When we begin to take our failures non-seriously it means we are ceasing to be afraid of them. It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves. "
24 " When we can begin to take our failures non-seriously it means we are ceasing to be afraid of them. It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves. "
25 " Self-distrust is the cause of most of our failures ... they are the weakest however strong who have no faith in themselves or their own powers. "
26 " Cheerfully fessing up to our failures turns crazy mind off, humility and compassion on. I learned this in a karate dojo that had a strange tradition. Everyone there loved recounting failure stories, and after an evening of smacking one another, we'd sit and have a beer while the students swapped tales of martial arts disaster. "
27 " We climb to heaven most often on the ruins of our cherished plans, finding our failures were successes. "
28 " There are a whole host of psychological phenomenon humans have developed to protect ourselves from the sting of failure, from holding ourselves less accountable for our failures than we do other people, to letting our fear paralyze us and keep us from even trying. "
