Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:1-2)
Failure is a tough part of life. I tried for the Expert Infantrymen's Badge (EIB) seven times and failed seven times. I was always the honor graduate in everything I did but for some reason I would always bolo the EIB. I knew I wouldn’t quit until I conquered it and others assisted me as well. My Chain of Command could have said, “Wood, you've wasted enough time on this. Face it, you’ll never be good enough.” However, they stuck by me. They encouraged me and allowed me to train year after year. We also fail in our spiritual lives. Our brothers and sisters fail too. Our job is to encourage and lift up, not to discard or ignore. It takes support and encouragement to restore the fallen and the goal should always be restoration. By the way, on my eighth try I finally received my EIB.
