Hypothesis
By Grant Gaines
Every science experiment begins with a hypothesis. A hypothesis simply asks the question “If blank, then blank.” Of course you fill in those blanks with the different ideas you are testing. For example, “If I give my dog the right amount of peanut butter, then he will stop barking while my guests are here.”
Once you have your hypothesis created, the experiment begins. For the first experiment, you may give your dog a teaspoon of peanut butter only to realize that he is able to quickly scarf down this measly amount of peanut butter and pester your guests a mere two minutes later. On the second test, you may try giving your loyal mutt an entire jar of peanut butter only to find your dog still smacking his gums six hours later as he’s trying to get the last remains of the peanut butter out of the jar. But as you keep on testing this hypothesis with different amounts of peanut butter, you will eventually find the perfect amount of this hound-hushing substance to give your dog to keep him occupied while your guests are over.
From a scientific viewpoint all of those attempts to find the right amount of peanut butter that didn’t achieve the desired results are not viewed as failures but rather as north stars leading a scientist towards the right answer. In fact, Thomas Edison who was one of the most popular scientists of all time “failed” regularly when trying to invent the light bulb. When asked about his “failures,” Edison replied, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
I love that mentality that Edison and every other scientist share-failure is not viewed as final but rather as a means to find the right answer. I think we would do well to adopt this mentality into our own lives. Rather than seeing a flunked class, a broken relationship, or a dysfunctional job as the end of the world, we should view them as stepping stones towards a better future. I believe this is the mentality Peter displayed in Matthew 14.
In this story, Peter stepped out of his comfort zone and onto the crashing waves as he walked towards Jesus. But this stroll on the water didn’t last too long as he, “…saw the wind, became afraid, and started to sink…” (Matthew 14:30, NIV). Peter’s hopes and aspirations sank right in front of his Lord and friends. Peter could have rightfully walked away with his head hung low and his confidence permanently scared from this “failed” adventure.
A lot of us can relate to Peter in this moment. At one point or another in our lives we’ve all seen our dreams, which once seemed so promising, quickly sink below the water. And it would be just as easy for us, as it would have been for Peter, to hang our heads in regret as our dreams came crumbling down.
But that’s not what Peter did. Instead of grumbling and complaining through life and feeling like a failure, Peter boldly went on to be one of the early church’s Founding Fathers and key components.
How did Peter do this? How did he not let his failures define him? I believe it is because Peter viewed his life as one giant experiment which allowed him to view this moment not as the end of the road but a mistake to learn from.
How else could you explain how Peter–after rebuking Jesus for desiring to go to Jerusalem–bounced back after Jesus rebuked him (Matthew 16:23)? How else could you explain Peter picking himself up after denying Christ three times and choosing to continue serving the Lord (Luke 22:54-62)? And how else does someone continue on after the countless beatings, abuse, and persecution that Peter faced as Jesus’ apostle (Acts, 1 + 2 Peter)? The only reasonable explanation is that Peter didn’t resist and run from failure, but rather learned from it knowing that he was one step closer to where God wanted him to be.
Is this how you view failure? If it is not, then maybe today could be the day that your mindset changes. Because, if I could propose a hypothesis, if we view life as an experiment, then and only then will we live a life free of fear of failure.
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
