We All Make Mistakes!

“A mistake should be your teacher, not your attacker.

A mistake is a lesson, not a loss.  It is a temporary,

necessary detour, not a dead end.”

~Author Unknown

Scripture:

Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

~Proverbs 28:13

Perspective:

We all make mistakes, mess up, and sin; it is human nature since sin was first unleased by Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God.  Remorse and regret are what God uses to convict us, our personal warning lights, letting us know that we have messed up, so we can repent, make amends, learn from, and correct what we have done wrong.  In doing so, we will ensure a better future.  If you do not feel badly when you mess up, when you sin or hurt others, that is a bigger problem and something to seriously contemplate and work on.  Unfortunately, mistakes and sin will be part of our lives while we are on this earth, so it is best to take the time and make the effort to develop the skills to deal with them.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

When the inevitable mess up occurs, we have a choice to make as to how we will handle it.  WE can choose to blow it off and go on as if nothing has happened; keep feeling badly toward our self and/or someone else; or admit what we have done, repent, make amends, and learn from our mistake.  I grew up with a mom who rarely admitted fault and said the words, “I’m sorry,” so I know full well the pain that not doing so causes others.  Coincidentally, my husband has the same struggle as my mom did (he’s working on that).  Blowing off our mistakes and shortcomings is certain to create greater problems in our life.  The pile grows, like anything else we do consistently, and resentment builds up in the hearts of those we hurt, spilling over into other life areas, and causing more and bigger problems.  If we just take the time to admit fault in the moment (or at least after we calm down), the problem can get resolved; in this way it will not snowball. 

The warning lights that cause remorse and convict us have a purpose; they are not bad but rather quite useful.  They are telling us to fix the problem.  Just like in a car, if we keep driving (going about our business) with warning lights on, our car will eventually break down and the repair (mistake) will be much more costly than if we had just dealt with the initial problem.  God forgives all our mistakes and sins if we obey Him in resolving them, if we take responsibility, repent, make amends, and learn from them; He expects us to grow more Christ-like as we go through life with its many peaks and valleys.  God uses our pain for a purpose, for our ultimate good and for His glory.  If you feel condemnation and shame, that is satan.  He uses our mistakes to tear us down and to keep us stuck.

Like anything else that we need to learn from, grow through, and change, there will be some discomfort involved.  When you work out to get stronger and healthier, your muscles hurt, right?  If you give up because of that pain, you will also miss out on the growth you could have attained to ultimately make you stronger!  We grow in our discomfort zone, but we only do so if we choose to.  Like change, mistakes are guaranteed, but growth is optional, it is something we must choose to do, to submit to.

You can still receive God’s blessings despite the current state in the different areas of your life if you choose to obey God’s instructions.  By obeying Him, you are showing you have faith and trust in Him, acknowledging that He is all-knowing and that you are not and need His guidance.

How to…

• Admit your mistake to yourself and then to the Lord.  Do not excuse it, minimize it, overlook it, or put the focus on someone else, pointing out that his or her sin is worse than yours.  YOU are the only one you can control; only your sins are your problem, so focus on you!  You must stand before the Lord in judgement someday and He does not want to hear what the other person did.  “I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my inequity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5)
• Repent to God.  Repentance means to have remorse, to make a radical turn from the wrong way to the right way, from one way of living to another, one of surrender to God and His authority.  “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out.” (Acts 3:19) 
• Be willing to take the fault for what belongs to you, in other words, own your stuff!  Remember, we all make mistakes and sin against God, the greatest error is not taking responsibility for your mistake(s).  Be accountable; confess your slip-up to and ask forgiveness from the person you have hurt.  A sincere confession always includes the desire and intention to turn away from sinful actions, to not continue the same behavior in the future.  Pray to God and ask Him to help you to not repeat your mistake.  We will never be perfect in this life, but we can continue to get better each day if we choose to make the effort to do so.  “So if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and while there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there at the alter and go.  First make peace with your brother, and then come and present your offering.” (Matthew 5:23-24)
• When you have asked for forgiveness from someone you have hurt (and from God), been forgiven, and made amends…forgive yourself and move on, for that is exactly what God does; once you sincerely repent your slate is wiped clean.  Of course, it is much more difficult for us to   forgive and forget our self and others, but we must continue to strive to do so.  “For I will be merciful and gracious toward their wickedness, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)

Throughout the Bible, God uses imperfect people in great ways.  Moses killed a man before he was asked to lead God’s chosen people from slavery; David was an adulteress and a murderer yet he was a prominent king in the Bible; Peter denied Jesus three times yet he helped to spread the Gospel.  No sin is too big to be forgiven by our God; He uses all things for our good and for His glory.  Two crucial things to remember as you struggle with your mistakes or the mistakes of a loved one: we will never be perfect, although we are to strive to be Christ-like each and every day and we are a work in progress until our dying day.  The most important things are whether we are correcting our mistakes the way God instructs us to and also, learning from those mistakes.

Life Applications:

>How do you view and handle your mistakes and shortcomings?  Are you able to freely admit them to yourself, God, and someone you have hurt?  Or, do you become defensive and make excuses, thinking and acting as if making a mistake means something other than simply, you made an error and like all of humanity have room to grow?

>>As an ambassador for God on this earth or any other role you are in, what are you modeling for those around you if you are not willing to admit and make amends for your mistakes?  Which do you see as worse, making a mistake (which is a valuable opportunity to grow) or refusing to admit your mistake (which is in direct disobedience to God)?

>>>Who should you make amends to, including God?  For what?  Stretch yourself out of your comfort zone and begin to do so now!  The more you do so, the easier it will become.