When I was a sophomore in high school, I started a campus club that failed miserably. My youth pastor was so supportive and even helped me re-start our campus club the next year.

Unfortunately, the students we lead won’t succeed at everything they attempt. One of the greatest lessons we can instill in our students is how to recover. Here are a few tips for helping students overcome their failures.

Revisit. One of the toughest parts about growing up is coming to the understanding that the people we look up to the most don’t succeed at everything they do. Be honest with your students about a time you tried something that didn’t work. Share what you did or didn’t do, how you recovered, and what you learned.

Reevaluate. Help your students take an honest look at what happened. Instead of simply moving on from something that went wrong, take time to learn a lesson from what happened. If they started a campus club that flopped, identify how the club was publicized, what time it met, and why students didn’t come.

Reframe. Instead of asking what went wrong, focus on what went right, what students learned, and what could be done better next time. Focus on moving forward with greater wisdom and lessons learned.

Redirect. This is one of the most critical steps to recovering from a misstep. Make sure that your students are operating in the area of their giftedness. If you have a student who is painfully shy, don’t put her in charge of hospitality. If you have a student who is completely tone deaf, don’t have her lead worship. Encourage students to grow in areas of weakness, but let students operate in areas of strength.

Re-launch. Don’t let students wallow in self-pity. Encourage your students to move forward. Help them restart a campus club. Provide opportunities for them to use the lessons they learned through their reevaluation process. Even if it means going a different direction completely, encourage students to use the gifts they have and move forward.