To know a lot about mistakes at the experiential level is to have lived. To know about mistakes from observation is recognizing but not feeling the pain often associated with the mistake.
At a Little League game years ago the fans were outraged at the manner in which a father treated his son after the son had ran past another child on base in front of him. I’m certain the boy, now probably a father has never really got over the embarrassment heaped upon him by his dad. Later that week the World Series was played and wouldn’t you know it, a team had two runners on base, the batter hit a good shot in the gap and one of the runners got so excited he passed the runner in front of him, essentially making the effort of all three players of non-effect!
The Little Leaguer made a mistake of ignorance. The Major Leaguer a mistake of emotion.
Sometimes we make a mistake of choice. We choose to cut a corner or any number of disastrous choices and call it a mistake all the while knowing we chose to go against the rule concerning such choices. Sin, is the more correct word. Sins can be forgiven. But mistakes and sins have a lot in common. They seem to occur over and over again. Why? It’s simple:
“Mistakes should be examined, learned from, and discarded; not dwelled upon and stored.” Tim Fargo,
That we should learn from mistakes and sins is laid before us in the bulk of all literature, ancient and modern, both religious and secular. Learn from your mistakes, your missteps and your outright sins. I heard a man talk about David’s mistake with Bathsheba. I took issue with the downplaying of David’s sin, though I confess “mistake” sounds more palatable in today’s world. Yet David cried, “My Sin is ever before me.” David’s mistake in his dealing with his sin was dwelling on it, rather than confessing it, forsaking it and permitting it to get out of his mind, as according to scripture it was out of God’s memory.
The writer of Hebrews puts it like this: “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Hebrews 8:12.
Examine, learn from and discard your sins and your mistakes and to use the overused phrase, go forward. Once mistakes and sins are wiped away by the Blood of Christ, constantly dwelling on them only brings unnecessary emotional pain. Christ sets us free to serve and enjoy Him, having been pronounced clean by Him.
Copyright © 2015 Larry Lilly
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