IRONMAN

Discovering the power behind our failures, developing a pioneer heart and how to be men of focus!

Tony Stark is a genius, philanthropist, billionaire tech mastermind. He is driven, focused and has a dry sense of humour even in the face of peril. Iron Man, his masked identity in an ultra-high tech exo suit, is a superhero with plenty of fire power and abilities to get the job done. However, like Spiderman, the man behind the mask has his wounds. The sudden and untimely death of his parents and his struggles with the emotional vocabulary others wish he had. 

Tony Stark’s character is an interesting one because he is totally ok with getting stuff wrong and he has some epic fails. In building his suit and the various versions of it until it’s right, he fails, a lot. He is also a pioneer who refuses to quit until he has gone further, faster and better than before. Iron Man wouldn’t be the superhero he is without focus; his innovation, genius and passion is focused on fighting wars and bringing a beatdown on any oppressive force that appears to threaten innocent lives. Let’s look at those things then, the fails, the pioneers and the focused.

The Fails 

Lack of success

Intro 

The Top Ten - tallest buildings (2019)

Superheroes are meant to be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Stark Towers maybe (1,130 ft), but these might prove a challenge…

10. Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan – 1, 667 ft 

09. China Zun, Beijing, China – 1,732 ft 

08. Tianjin CTF Finance Centre, Tianjin, China – 1,739 ft 

07. Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Guangzhou, China – 1,739 ft 

06. One World Trade Centre, United States – 1,776 ft 

05. Lotte World Tower – Seoul, South Korea – 1,819 ft 

04. Ping An Finance Centre – Shenzhen, China – 1,965 ft 

03. Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower – Mecca, Saudi Arabia – 1,971 ft 

02. Shanghai Tower - Shanghai, China – 2,073 ft 

01. Burj Khalifa – Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 2,717 ft

Currently in construction through is the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia, which should top them all at 3,307 ft.

The Fails - what we’re talking about:

Have you been marred and scarred by personal failure? Tried to make, do or be something and it went wrong? Really wrong? 

If you have then perhaps just reading that will transport you back to the emotion, feelings and chaos that those moments brought, or is still bringing into your life. The crippling badge we wear at these times is called failure. 

Maybe failure came about not through positive aspirations and goals but damaging ones, for both you and others - that happens easily too. We are human and we mess up, on all economies of scale; but I do believe that we can all, even the ‘worst’ of us, find a way back when the wheels have come off our lives in spectacular fashion.

A young son wished his wealthy, businessman dad dead, for nothing more than a chance to grab the family inheritance money. His wish came true, but his dad didn’t die; he decided to give his son the money, the desire of his heart. The young lad went for it, spent the lot on fast living, drink, partying and cheap sex. He had the time of his life, for a while. Then when the music faded, alone, desperate and rejected by all around him he hit rock bottom. 

You might think it selfish and cold hearted but he decided to go back home to his dad, not as a son but as a worker, to just help out in the family business and almost go unnoticed. 

The dad was having none of it. You might be thinking he just slammed the door in his son’s face, but that wasn’t the way this story went. The dad hadn’t stopped looking out for his son and hoping for his return; perhaps everyday he watched the hill that his son disappeared over, longing for him to come home. Then one day he did come home. What did the dad do? No words of condemnation or of failure were expressed. He didn’t rant and unload curses over that boy, he just welcomed him, forgave him and threw the biggest homecoming party ever. 

Action:

Failure will take a load of different shapes and sizes in our lives, what does this subject stir up for you? Has there been situations in your life that went wrong, but you learnt from them and changed as a result? Are there still things that need to be resolved? 

Don’t let failure badge the rest of your life. Get up. Go again. What does that mean for you today? Maybe you need to speak it out; it can help to find a mate who you can be honest with here, so they can hear your declaration to not be beaten by failure and to stand again. 

Reflect on these words from Psalm 145:14 The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.