Jesus chose the disciples as His team-all twelve of them-and all twelve failed! When Jesus was betrayed by Judas and arrested, the disciples ran away into hiding. They started out wanting to defend Jesus, but fear took over. Jesus predicted this would happen, yet still wanted these men on His team.

We all fail. As athletes we will blow an assignment, strike out, or miss a shot. When this happens will the coach still want us on the team? Truthfully, sometimes yes and sometimes no. But if we keep trying and do not give up, we are more likely to keep our spot on the team.

After Jesus' team failed, they rallied. Jesus appeared to them several times after the Resurrection to rebuke and encourage them. His team was back and ready for action; but no matter how hard they tried, eventually they failed again. Can you relate? Failure is an everyday occurrence for all of us. We might forget to do homework, flunk a test, or tell a lie. We must remember that this does not eliminate us from the team.

To overcome failure we need to get focused and get in the game! Failure only wins when we quit. Be a winner and stay on the team!