You don’t truly know a man until you’ve seen him in a moment of deep humiliation—a place where life has stripped away his plans, his ego, and his illusions. It could come through failed marriages, addiction, or unmet ambitions. These are the fires that reveal what a man is truly made of. A man who has never faced these trials, never known failure or humiliation, is untested. Without that fire, he lacks the depth of understanding, compassion, and empathy that come from walking through the valleys of life.

I don’t know if I could trust a man who hasn’t endured such humbling experiences. There’s a certain shallowness in those who have never suffered, never been brought to their knees by life’s challenges. Without the refining heat of failure, they lack the wisdom that comes from walking through pain. They can’t fully empathize or truly grasp what it means to climb out of the depths. Peter, one of Jesus’s closest disciples, learned this firsthand. His failure—the threefold denial of Christ—became the foundation for his future leadership. It was not his perfection but his willingness to face his brokenness that prepared him to lead with grace and strength.