Column: Life with Logan

Failure.

This seven-letter word elicits dread, panic and discomfort. Fear of failure causes anxiety and depression, and it can fracture one’s soul into a million pieces.

I’ve felt the sting of failure multiple times. I’ve lost sporting matches, bombed academic tests and jeopardized important relationships. Many times, I felt alone, scared and troubled. I quickly blamed others and ignored my obvious mistakes and shortcomings.

I’m bursting with imperfections. 

I’m a sinner, saved by undeserving grace.

Throughout our lives, we’re taught to embrace success and avoid failure. We’re taught academic excellence, dinner etiquette and social respect. 

We absorb the principles of victory without learning the art of defeat. We embrace the sweetness of success, but choke at the disappointments of failure.

True success requires learning how to fail.

Failure is a common theme at graduations, almost to the point of overuse. Commencement speakers frequently preach the inevitability of failure and the prize for perseverance. While determination builds personal growth, graduation ceremonies only brush the surface of failure’s role in one’s character. 

For my final “Life with Logan” column, I wanted to approach failure from a different perspective. I won’t reference cliché examples or quote famous dead people. I want to address what I learned from my dad during a low point in my life.

We fear failure because we wrongly blend success with identity. We measure worth based on accomplishments instead of relying on a higher power.       

Neither failures nor accomplishments should define us. Our identities reside in Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross. God won every battle, conquered every fear and offered an escape from death. As believers, our identities should rest in Christ, who achieved victory over all. If we look to ourselves as beacons of perfection, we will crumble every time.

The thesis of this column is fortitude during failure, not because it keeps us focused on our personal goals, but because it helps us realize that God is bigger than life’s frustrations. 

Working at the Champion has been an incredible blessing. We know a thing or two about failure. The newspaper you hold experienced roughly 20 different revisions of each page before finalization. We toil in our efforts, craving the accomplishment.  

My best advice for anyone is to understand that life isn’t about you. If you feel wronged, used or disrespected, work it out. Don’t pretend to be a martyr to the masses. Embrace the frustrations of failure, learn to work collaboratively and move forward.

For those who picked up a copy of the Champion during my time as editor, thank you. Know that our Champion staff has worked tirelessly to create the best newspaper possible. 

For those who don’t know, the Champion is student-led and student-operated. We sacrifice hundreds of hours to work at the Champion each semester while juggling full academic loads. It’s challenging, but thrilling. 

On April 30, we will release our final issue of this semester, and my colleague Jacob Couch, along with several other new staffers, will spearhead production.

I should end this column by saying “Goodnight and Good luck,” but that’s too cliché. Instead I will leave you with my most important message, playing off Martin Luther’s famous saying:

Fail boldly.