Our first no-fail science experiment failed. We tried it again and again (as in 8 or 9 times) and can now say that no matter what all the science textbooks (and google) say, you cannot actually get hot water to produce ice crystals faster than cold water. It is known as the Mpemba effect and was studied all the way back to the time of Aristotle, Bacon, and Descartes. Supposedly those second rate intellects proved that this counterintuitive effect can and does occur under certain conditions. But what do they know? Yes, the Fountains have proved them ALL wrong. Maybe I need to phone the Smithsonian in D.C. to inform them of our astounding discovery.
After the 9th failed attempt, we were feeling a bit, uh, deflated and defeated. Peter, my 4th grader, had lost all ability to care anymore: "Let's just do the report and say it didn't work." He was ready to go to the golf course. I was not. Plus, I didn't think that would make for a very impressive showing at the science fair: "My Failed Experiment." (Maybe with a subtitle--"My mom is mean and unhelpful.")
So the time had come to recognize that we had failed and we needed to start anew. Again, much, much, much weeping and gnashing of teeth. That golf course seemed a lot more alluring to the 4th grader... and this old mama could think of a lot better things to do with her time than trying to monitor her son's 2nd science experiment (Okay, that's a little bit of an understatement--how about rewording that to indicate the mom trying to push, prod, help in every way possible, type, push some more, her son in doing his 2nd infernal, blasted science experiment... Ahh, confession feels good to the soul.)
But I'm happy to say, that somehow, someway, we have completed our 2nd science experiment, and it was relatively successful--at least, it did what it was supposed to do. We're still working on the report, so all bets are off on that score, but the end is in sight, praise God!
And here's what I learned: Don't allow failure to cause you to give up. Life is full of defeat and discouragement, but sometimes you have to ask God to enable you to buck up, push through and go after it again. He is the God of second chances, after all!
The Bible is full of us science-experiment type failures! Ask Moses. Or Jonah. Or Joseph. Or Peter. Or Paul. We fail, but He forgives. We stumble, but He strengthens. We're exhausted, but He enables and empowers. We miss the mark, but He makes all things new. Aren't You thankful He restores and redeems the seemingly unredeemable?
The other day, I wrote about Jonah and his prayer inside the whale. But I stopped before one of my favorite verses in the very next chapter. "Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 'Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you." (3:1-2) Did you see it? The Lord's word "came to Jonah the second time"--God was not through with him yet! Sure, Jonah failed abysmally the first time--he ran in the opposite direction rather than obey God's call. But Jonah repented, God forgave, and God gave him a second chance. And God told Jonah to "Arise, go." You gotta love those two words--the perfect antidote to failure! Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Cancel the pity party on your coach. And get up and get going with whatever God has called you to do!
He is a merciful, gracious, forgiving, loving Savior and Redeemer, and He is the God of second and third and fourth chances to all who will come to Him in faith and repentance. But after He's forgiven the failure, it's time to go back at it again. Ask Him to enable you and guide you and strengthen you to try one more time. Try that science experiment another time! Try a new science experiment! Just don't let failure ever become final. Not when we have such a God who never ever ever gives up on us. To the gracious God of second chances, be all the glory.
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