Letting Someone Fail- Is it Loving?

Without room to fail there wouldn't be room to grow. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Hebrews 12:11 I want to help people. I don't like seeing someone fail, especially my own kids. I want to nurture and love, but sometimes the most loving thing I can do is not come to the rescue. Some call it tough love and from my experience it's just as tough for the one doing the loving as it is the one being "loved."I listened to the story of a friend who walked down the path of rebellion and addiction, and she told me that her mom never rescued her from any of her choices. She let her daughter face every consequence, even though it was the hardest thing she had ever had to do. My friend said that without that kind of love, she would not have gotten sober when she did. Her mom's tough love was life-saving.We want to love and protect and it may feel helpful, but is it?Mistakes hold wonderful opportunities for learning, and for some of us, it's the only way we truly learn. God is so loving not to catch us every time we fall,  like a dad watching his toddler learning to walk.  Wrapping children in bubble wrap or attempting to catch them each time they stumble is not possible or beneficial. It's how they learn to walk. Stumbling and falling.You may need to let someone fall today. Pray and listen to the Lord and to wise counsel in your life. Maybe you feel like God has let you down, but he might be giving you to an opportunity to learn something that you could only learn from getting back up. One thing is for sure, he is a good Father and he knows best.