Anybody looking at my family might assume that life is hunky dory. But we've been going through a season of failure lately. Yesterday I got turned down on a book deal. In the last month or so, two children didn't get accepted to schools to which they'd applied. Two others struggle with depression. Leah struggles with handicaps. If I were to write a family Christmas letter now, it wouldn't sound so good. Yet, God has us right where He wants us.

Failure is God's tool to deconstruct our ego. Our egos guard the periphery of our inner lives, preventing us from taking anything more than a passing glance towards the care of our being.

Looking inward, we see the tell-tale signs of selfishness and the brokenness it has produced. We're forced to reconcile the idealized ego-interpreted version of ourselves with the reality of motives and actions that are self-serving.

Failure is a big reality check. It tells me, "I'm not really in control here. In fact, I need more help then I realized." Failure forces us back to the posture of dependence - dependence on God and on others. It gives us the perspective of thankfulness for small blessings. It makes us more accessible to others and therefore more loveable. It strips away pretense and leads us along the difficult inner path to self-knowledge which so few dare to tread in this age of distraction and glossy self promotion.