Success and Failure Blog

One Christmas Eve back in the mid-90′s I headed out to Kensington Avenue with my good friend, Shirley. She had called me a few days earlier to invite me on a very special mission. So, I said yes, as I was always ready for a bit of intrigue.

Packed in her trunk were about twenty gift bags filled with toiletries like shampoo, soap, toothpaste, etc. Shirley had prepared each bag with loving care and a silent, yet thoughtful, prayer went up as every one was completely filled.

Kensington Avenue is located in one of the ugliest areas of North Philadelphia known as the “Badlands”. I used to live and work just five minutes from the strip. After dark, and after most of the shops along this street (covered by the Elevated Train track overhead) were closed, out of the shadows crept the prostitutes who were ready to begin their workday. Dressed in dingy, skimpy clothing, with tired and vacant eyes and slouching shoulders, each girl began her silent sales pitch.

As we began our journey down this dimly lit avenue, bundled up and tucked safely in Shirley’s car, I could recall the words she spoke to me over the phone. It went something like this: “These girls just need to be touched with God’s love. Who else is going to do it? We’re His hands, Summer. I just want to make sure they know that God knows who and where they are, and that He loves them.” How could I resist?

One by one, as we inched along the street, we gave the bags away with a few words of hope. I wish I could say that they all responded with immense gratitude and that many decided to walk away from their lifestyle. But, no miracle happened that night. None that I could see anyway.

But, the memory of that evening is branded in my mind. And I thank Shirley for the invitation.

In 2002, I helped start a ministry to prostitutes along the railroad tracks in Zone One of Guatemala City. I’m no longer with that ministry, but my husband and I have maintained a relationship with one of the ex-hookers I’d met there. Her name is Sheny, and she’s HIV positive. She’s got three kids and we help them throughout the year with food, clothes, school supplies, etc. Sheny’s got a job, but only earns the equivalent of $200 a month, which barely provides for the rent, food and medication she needs to keep from dying too soon.

She’s got quite the story, Sheny does. Her life history makes mine seem like a fairy tail – and I didn’t have it easy.

I’m not tooting my own horn or patting myself on the back by sharing this with you. The truth is, it’s a sacrifice for me to give of my money, time and energy. Oftentimes, I’d rather stay inside my cozy home and enjoy being with my husband and son. But, I’m always haunted by the fact that there are millions of people hurting in this world.
So I give.

I wish I could give more. I wish I could do more.

We have gifts nicely wrapped under the tree for Sheny and her kids this year. Nothing fancy, really. Just blankets and some toiletries. But, we’re happy to give, because we know that through giving God’s love is communicated.

Shirely’s still living in Philly, giving of herself constantly.

How will you spend your Christmas? Will you give to someone in need? Who do you know that’s hurting?

It’s a challenge.

Don’t do it to make yourself feel good or to ease your conscience. Give because you know someone needs it. Open up your heart and life and pour out kindness and gentleness and mercy.

Don’t think you have anything to give? Everyone has something.

Our budget was extremely tight this year, what with the newborn baby and all. But, It’s worth it to love someone else, no matter what the cost. So we’ll be in debt for a couple of months. So what.

Give.
Help.
Love.

Merry Christmas!
Summer

(Originally written December, 2007)

While thinking deeply, and on multiple levels from planes of intellectualism to spiritualism, I found profound thoughts buried there within my heart. This truth is evidenced best and most wholly by my life’s resume, which is a resume that represents more than one aspect of a person’s life. It is a resume that actually represents every aspect of one’s life.
I realized that the qualifications that seem the most impressive to peers, employers, and people in high places, mean very little to the Most High God. For instance, I am sure that God truly does care about every aspect of our lives, including our education and work history; however I believe He cares more about how we act on and articulate every innate, expressive and unique ability, talent and skill that He has given to us. So often the gifts that God so graciously bestows upon us are misused, abused and taken for granted. Because of this fact, I have a rather distressing admission to make!
Sadly, I must openly and embarrassedly admit my severe failure in this life. I am blessed with so many talents and skills, yet I allow most of these to lie dormant within me. All too often, I have ignored my abilities instead of yielding great fruits from them. I have also, many times in this life misused my talents for all the wrong reasons. I have wanted to gain attention, riches, and even power. I am guilty of this and much more. I am sometimes so displaced by this world that I have failed to my job as a human being. I have let God down many, many times, by not promoting Him and His greatness above my own desires. Miserably, via greed and selfishness I have fallen far short of God’s Glory. I have not always sought first to edify the kingdom of God in everything that I do. I have declined to proclaim God’s goodness and faithfulness when and where it matters most-everywhere.
What I realized today and wish to share with you is that we cannot beef up our Life’s resume before God. God knows everything about us and there is no way to fudge it, pad it, tell little white lies or make up euphemisms about ourselves in order to make our lives more appealing to God. All we can hope to do is prepare ourselves rightfully for the day of our great and final interview, by allowing God to be the center of all we do. We must strive past the usual criteria and onward toward true greatness. To do this we must first realize that it will not matter how much money we have earned. It will be pointless to brag about our careers, and our great knowledge. For compared to God’s Greatness it will be nothing more than fools’ gold.
We each have the ability to do more than simply realize our own dreams and goals. True, honest to goodness success in this life is achieved by realizing God’s dreams and goals for us. Instead of searching for ways to uplift ourselves and make ourselves great among men, we must allow God to be uplifted before all men, through us! We must ask God to utilize and promote our talents according to His will. We must permit God access to every part of us including and especially our finances. We must be willing to give up anything and everything for Him, even our hearts’ desires and the dreams we have for ourselves. When we do this it will becomes obvious that we can each do far more by touching others and becoming great inspirations, motivators, and the deliverers of the truth. Every person has within them the raw and instinctive capability to physically, spiritually and emotionally reach others, and actually help transform lives, soften hard hearts, and move literal mountains!
The day of our greatest interview that shall determine our ultimate position for all of eternity approaches closer with each day. Where will you choose now to spend all of eternity? What will God place you in authority of based upon your life’s resume. It is particularly comforting to know that God searches our hearts and minds and knows all that they contain. This means if we turn everything over to Him we cannot fail.
Matthew 25:23 (Amplified Bible)
23His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, [a]admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the [b]blessedness) which your master enjoys.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Pam Shekailo

“The line between failure and success is so fine that we scarcely know when we pass it: so fine that we are often on the line and do not know it.”  –Elbert Hubbard, American writer

Failure is not always a bad or a negative experience.  Some people use failure as an excuse to stop striving for what they really want or need.  The Bible says in Proverbs 24:16,  “for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again…” According to Charles C. Manz, in his book, The Power of Failure: 27 Ways to Turn Life’s Setbacks into Success, “Sometimes failure is failure, at least in the short run.  If we can learn to accept failure as a necessary part of life and then take from it the valuable lessons it offers, we can transcend it.  Sometimes it’s best to not try to deny or redefine failure but to effectively cope and cooperate with it for future success.”

We may experience setbacks in life, but if we continue to rise again, the very next time may be the push we need to make it to our reward.  As Donnie McClurkin says in his popular gospel song, “We fall down, but we get up…”  The only way to accomplish what God is calling you to do is to have faith that God will be with you through it all.  “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13)  As long as we are obedient, God will even supply the faith, “… think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” (Romans 12:3)

“Most people search high and wide for the key to success. If they only knew, the key to their dreams lies within.”  – George Washington Carver. American inventor

Failure is something we all face in our lives.  I’ve sure had my share.  I remember in the mid 1990s, I had worked myself all the way from a sales person to Marketing Director to COO of a thriving company – only to discover that I really did not like that position.  So I did something radical.  I decided to quit this very secure job and start my own advertising based business.  It was an original idea in an industry I was very familiar with – a business magazine mailed to local business owners around my community.  A great idea plus my hard work ethic – I was sure would work.

Both my wife and I put everything we had, financially and emotionally into this idea.  It was very exciting to see how fast we acquired our first (and last) 30 clients!  Within a couple months we had a real magazine!  Clients were getting fantastic results.  There was only one small problem…though clients were excited about the return they were getting (one even said it was “the only advertising that ever worked”), some still had financial problems and couldn’t continue on a consistent basis.  Bottom line – we eventually ran out of money.  Then, on top of having to close down the magazine, we even had to hawk our 8 year old cars just to pay postage for the last mailing!!

I was devastated…my dream had died.  I remember how depressed I was.  I gave it my all and it was not enough.  I had no job, no money, and worst of all – a seriously damaged sense of confidence.

Maybe, that’s were you are now.

I had only questions…no answers.  I asked God the usual questions …why?  Why me?  How could you allow me to be so humiliated?  Why did you let this happen?

It took another 2 months for me to hit the real bottom when I had to raid our earthquake kid preparedness kit for quarters…we were that broke.  Until then, I was still holding on to a few shreds of pride.  I didn’t want to let them go, believing that somewhere within myself I could “make it happen.”  Once that last fingernail on the cliff ripped and I totally let go, something amazing happened.  Some of our friends from church prayed for me and I got to the point where I said…”Lord, you are my provider…You are my lord…in You I trust.  Whatever you want to do with me is fine.”  It wasn’t like I didn’t pray before…I did…a lot.  But there is a big difference when you finally completely let go and repent of all anger, unforgiveness, resentment, pride, etc.

A week later, totally out of the blue and not because of anything I did, I received a call from a stranger offering me the best job I’d ever had.  An old friend who I hadn’t talked with in ears referred me.  It was nothing short of a miracle…just the way it happened…it was eerie.

Looking back, I realized that I just had gotten ahead of God…like I do sometime.  Lesson – it’s wise to seek his counsel and wait on the Lord!

I hope my story has given you hope and some direction.  It’s never wrong to seek God, before and or after failure.  He is always ready to respond.  Frankly, I don’t know how people cope without God…I guess that’s why people do drugs, take pills or drink alcohol.  There is no doubt in my mind that God is the better choice…he brings true and lasting healing and recovery from failure to success.