Mistakes are inevitable realities of human existence, which became a part of the human race, right from the fall of mankind. The dictionary defines ‘mistake’ as, “an act or judgement that is misguided or wrong.” How we think of our mistakes matters, because it largely determines whether they can make us better or leave us bitter. Much of the defeat we experience in life is the result of our wrong thinking. How you think about something determines how you feel about it, which in turn, influences the decision you make about it. This is why we need to be careful about our mental attitude towards our mistakes. Some of the greatest figures in the Bible made some of the greatest mistakes in their lives. Such Biblical characters as Abraham, Moses, and David, to name a few, come readily to mind. This underscores the fact that mistakes are common to mankind. How then should you deal with your mistakes?
Acknowledge them and apologise. It is dangerous to ignore your mistakes and act as though you never made them. If you have sinned—missed the mark— acknowledge and admit it to God first, and, then, to man, where necessary. Everyone at one time or the other has made mistakes. Human errors and misjudgements are not a novelty, and as such not too shocking to anyone who is familiar with the universal nature of human frailties. The issue then is not whether you make mistakes, but whether, on realising that to be the case, you acknowledge and admit it. King Saul fell victim of this error, when he claimed to have obeyed God’s command to destroy every living thing in Amalek: “Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I HAVE PERFORMED THE COMMANDMENT OF THE LORD.”” (1Sam 15:13) (emphasis mine). Now compare the emphasized text above with the following: “But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” And Saul said, “THEY HAVE BROUGHT THEM from the Amalekites; FOR THE PEOPLE SPARED THE BEST OF THE SHEEP AND THE OXEN, to sacrifice to the Lord your God; and the rest WE HAVE UTTERLY DESTROYED.”” (1Sam 15:14). Saul was aware he had made a terrible mistake, but rather than own up to it, he chose to deflect responsibility to his subjects— an unrepentant attitude that cost him his kingdom.
Examine your mistakes for valuable lessons that can help you forestall a reoccurrence. Whenever we make mistakes and failure occurs, there are valuable lessons we can learn from the situation, if we are humble and careful enough to look for them. Though King David was disappointed that he had failed in his attempt to take the Ark of the Covenant to its designated place, he analysed the situation carefully, and discovered where he had missed it: “Then David said, “No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever.” He said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. For because you did not do it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, BECAUSE WE DID NOT CONSULT HIM ABOUT THE PROPER ORDER.”” (1Ch 15:2,12-13) (emphasis mine). David openly said their mistake was that they had not consulted God about the proper order. David’s mistake had cost Uzzah his life, but David and Israel, subsequently, learnt an important lesson. Likewise, be humble enough to learn from your mistakes.
Do not dwell on your mistakes. Forgive yourself and move on. Though you may still be experiencing some of the consequences of your mistakes, refuse to dwell on them. Do not live in guilt or regret; there is no future there. Remember, your mistakes are now in the past. Therefore, do not let them obsess you. The Bible says, “”Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isa 43:18-19). To brood or ruminate on your mistakes will neither turn back the hand of the clock nor change the fact that the deed has been done. You cannot make progress while dwelling on your mistakes.
Never let go of God’s word to you. He says, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go,… for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”” (Gen 28:15). You are work in progress: “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” (Philip 1:6). To let go of God’s word to you, would be to walk into adversity. Every word of God to you requires your undivided attention. Our attention to God’s word is what makes it possible for it to sustain our faith, until we see the manifestation of the promise. The Psalmist says, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word.” (Ps 119:67). If we do not keep God’s word for our lives by making it our focus, we will go astray. The result is that we attract affliction and suffer. Therefore be resolute in your focus on what God says about you, and watch Him do what only He can do with you. Shalom.
.
