Think about it, when you were learning how to write your numbers and letters in school, as an elementary school pupil, you made mistakes. Your teacher went through the process of showing you how to “stroke and curve” your numbers and letters into form, over and over again, before you were able to do it on your own. And if you’re like me, you spent your entire primary school, junior secondary school and maybe part of senior secondary school trying to figure out which handwriting style works best for you. Then, there was the part when you got to meet words, and you had the privilege of guessing the pronunciation of different words, while listening to hear your teacher, parents or any other adult congratulate you on a job well done or correct you if and when necessary.
Now, you’re grown. You can write and type out words with ease and comfort. However, you still make mistakes. You still misspell words, even words you’re already familiar with. Sometimes, you can just go blank when trying to spell a word you’re so sure you can spell. Other times, you might have finished writing or typing out an article, and have edited it to the best of your knowledge, only to have another set of eyes point out a word that is missing a letter, has misplaced letters or has too many letters in it…and your reaction will be that of a sincere person who truly can’t understand how the mistakes came to be,
“I didn’t see that!”
“How did I miss that, to think I’ve read it over and over again?!”
You made mistakes as a child. You‘re still making mistakes as an adult. So, firstly, mistakes don’t mean you’re not growing or getting better. Never allow the devil make you feel you’re not growing and getting better because you still make mistakes. Secondly, can we ever be free from mistakes?
We can’t live a mistake free life, but we can live a life that is free from mistakes that ruin lives
I can never underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit. If Christians can always be in tune with the Holy Spirit at all times, then we’ll always be fine. We’ll never say the wrong words. We’ll always know what to do, how to do it and when to do it. But we’re in our flesh, and there are a whole lot of distractions that come with that. These distractions aren’t always negative. They can be: paying attention to your spouse, taking care of a baby, creating the PowerPoint slides for that presentation, shopping etc. We have to, always, set and keep resetting our minds and hearts on the Holy Spirit. Like Apostle Paul said, “we have to die to the flesh, daily.” That explains why we’re encouraged to always spend time in the Word and in prayers.
When I say, “we can’t live a mistake free life” what do I mean? Well, let me explain. When I uploaded my previous post, I mistakenly left out an entire sentence at the beginning of the post. It took me two days to notice it and correct it. A glass cup can slip away from your hands and shatter on the floor. You might make the baby’s food a little bit thick or watery. You can pronounce another person’s name, when your intention was to pronounce another. You can quote a wrong passage of the Bible. You can leave out or misspell words in your text messages. etc. Mistakes like these aren’t avoidable as long as you’re in your flesh. Plus, no matter how we grow in our walk with Jesus, there‘ll always be more room for growth and improvement. As we keep learning, growing, and improving, we’ll make mistakes. This shows us we’re humans after all, but for the Grace of God and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
But life has moments that define our existence. If we make mistakes in those moments, it will hurt, break or even ruin us. God knows that some mistakes (like the ones I listed above) wouldn’t cost us anything. He also knows the ones that can cost us even our lives and He doesn’t want us to make such mistakes.
There’s a BIG difference between slightly moving away from your lane or stumbling upon things you shouldn’t stumble upon while moving in the right direction…and moving in the wrong direction altogether. When we make mistakes while on the right path, we learn to do better. We grow and improve. Heading in the wrong direction will hurt, break and even ruin your life…it is possible to avoid it.
Never believe the lies of the devil. Everybody is not making mistakes. Many are getting it right. You can get it right too. God doesn’t want us to make mistakes in areas that will determine how will live on earth. God doesn’t want you to get married to someone that will make you experience the early stage of hell while on earth. He doesn’t want you to walk a path in life that is contrary to His purpose and plan for your life. You don’t have to get into several relationships and go through heartbreaks before you end up with someone that suits you. You don’t have to guess your way around the business world and lose a lot of money, before knowing where to concentrate on. God doesn’t want you living in a city you have no business being in. As a Christian, you can avoid mistakes like these. You don’t have to make mistakes in these areas. You shouldn’t make mistakes in these areas. You have the Holy Spirit and He’s here to help you through moments like these.
Look at the different stories in the Bible. We don’t get to see how someone mistakenly stumbled on another person’s body. We don’t get to see whose clothes were torn, mistakenly. We don’t get to see how someone, mistakenly, cut himself while using a sharp knife. We don’t get to see who overcooked or burnt their meals while cooking. I’m almost sure that someone in the Bible mistakenly threw his meal on the floor, but I don’t know who, because it’s not recorded in the Bible. I believe the Heroes of Faith made mistakes like these, but they aren’t recorded in the Bible. What do we see in the Bible? Choices and decisions that either marred or made people.
So, we can’t live our lives without making mistakes, but we can avoid mistakes that can ruin our lives.
What happens if I’ve made a mistake in a crucial moment ?
You know the kind of mistakes that keep you up at night and make you just wish you can wipe the memory away, forever. What if my mistakes caused me something big? What if my mistakes are the reason I’m stuck in life? I made a mistake, and I’m still praying for it to go away. What if it is a mistake that is still hunting me?
Well, can you just correct it? If yes, then go on and just correct it. Is it a mistake that is hard and complicated to correct? Then you should, prayerfully, seek counsel from an experienced and matured Christian, and see how to approach “the correction process.” Now, when there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it, then you just have to let it go.
The more we focus on a mistake, the messier it becomes
If you don’t let it go, you make it messier. If you don’t let the regret and guilt go away, you’ll always be a prisoner of that mistake. You will consciously or unconsciously make wrong decisions and choices because of that mistake. You’ll shrink away from the fullness of life because of that mistake. You’ll be bound to make several other mistakes because of that mistake. You’ll make your life messier because of that one mess.
I’m not downplaying your hurt and pain. I’m not taking your regret for granted. I might not understand how bad it hurts, but I know beyond all doubt that God wants you up and moving from that mistake. It is from a place of personal experience and learning what the Holy Spirit will have me learn that I write this. You see, I have a settled conviction that life would have been better if I didn’t make some mistakes I made in life, especially when it comes to my education and career.
In recent times, I think about the many opportunities I had when I left the university. I think about how I, ignorantly, refused those opportunities, even when my mom advised me against my choices. I think about how scared I was to step into some opportunities. I think about how I felt “not enough” and “not ready.” I think about all of these and I feel a deep seated pain. I wish I knew what I know now. I also think about some of the things the Holy Spirit asked me to let go of, and I wish I let go of them earlier. “Life would have been better” I always say. But can I go back to make changes in the past? No, I can’t. All I have are the blank pages of now and many tomorrows. Yesterday is gone, and it will never come back. If I refuse to write better decisions and choices on the blank pages that are before me, then I’ll just be adding “more messiness” to the already existing messiness from yesterday.
Ten years ago is in the pass. A second ago, is also in the past. No matter how recent your past is, begin again.
God Restores
A song writer said, “You turn mourning into dancing. You give beauty for ashes. You turn shame into glory. You turn graves into gardens. You turn bones into armies. You turn seas into highways. You’re the only One Who can.” The song writer was referring to God. And yes, that’s Who our Heavenly Father is. Can you trust Him? Can you trust that He sent Jesus Christ to die, so that your mistakes can’t define how you spend your remaining days on this side of eternity?
When Jesus brought a dead man back to life after four days, that was beyond remarkable. However, we sometimes forget about the dried bones in Ezekiel. Martha, Mary and the others where still mourning Lazarus when he was brought back to life. His memory was still fresh. The dried bones in Ezekiel where dead, gone, dried and forgotten. There was no hope for those bones again…and sometimes our mistakes can make us feel like all hopes are gone, but what we feel isn’t true. Those dried bones, at God’s command, came back to life. They stood up upon their feet as an exceedingly great host. They didn’t just come alive, God made them a great army. So they were restored back to life with FULL strength and might. God can do so much more for you, if you’ll let Him.
In Ezekiel 37:12-14, God says, “…I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, O my people; and I will bring you [back home] to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord [your Sovereign Ruler] when I have opened your graves, and caused you to come up out of your graves, O My people. And I shall put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I shall place you in your own land. Then you shall know, understand and realize that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, says the Lord.”
God restores. There’s no situation that is already too bad for Him. Our mistakes don’t catch Him by surprise. He knew we’ll make those wrong choices and decisions before we ever did. Romans 8:28 tells us how everything will eventually work out for our good. We can’t destroy ourselves enough for God to not know what to do with us. Imagine bad as bad can ever be, and God’s goodness and mercy will still swallow up that greatest expression of bad. Lisa Bevere said, “if you think you’ve blown God’s plan for your life…relax, you’re not that powerful.”
God doesn’t act according to our own visions and desires. Most times we have a particular way we want Him to come through for us, but God can’t fit into our timetable and schedule. We don’t get to tell Him how to go about it. He works everything for our own good, according to how He deems fit and perfect for us. Can you just trust Him? Can you let Him replace that mistake with His glory and beauty. You should know, more than you’ll ever want Him to help you, He wants to help you.
My prayer for you and me:
In the name of Jesus, may our mistakes never again have power over us. We will never again cry over the past. Our hearts are forever stayed on Jesus. We are forever excited at the blank pages that are before us. And with all confidence, boldness and wisdom from the Holy Spirit, we make and keep making better decisions and choices. Our lives are living testimonies of God’s mercy and goodness. Amen.
Get in the gym, and do
Stay Spiritually Fit.
