A cage of Failure by Mark Batterson

Thought this was a good post and wanted to pass it on.
here is Mr. Batterson's site http://www.evotional.com/


In 1809, he was born into poverty—a one-room log cabin 16 x 18 feet. In 1816, his family was evicted from their home and he had to work to support them. In 1818, his mother died. In 1831, he failed in business. In 1832, he ran for the state legislature and lost. In 1832, he also lost his job & wanted to go to law school but couldn’t get in. In 1833, he borrowed money to start a business and was bankrupt by the end of the year. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off the debt. In 1835, he was engaged to be married but his sweetheart died and his heart was broken. In 1836, he had a total nervous breakdown and was in bed for six months. In 1843, he ran for congress and lost. In 1849, he sought the job of land officer in his home state and was rejected. In 1854. he ran for the Senate and lost. In 1856, he sought the vice-presidential nomination at his party’s national convention and got less than 100 votes. In 1858, he ran for the U.S. Senate again and lost again. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States of America.Abraham Lincoln’s life was filled with incredible suffering and setbacks, but that is what enabled him to endure the most difficult Presidency in history as America was divided by a Civil War. Failure prepared him for success. So what kept Lincoln going? How did he endure the setbacks? He never lost his sense of destiny. And I think it's captured in his own words. Before leaving friends and family for his first term as President, Lincoln said: "I now leave, not knowing when or whether ever I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of that Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail."