Mistakes--I've Made a Few!

I hate that sign!
Especially from this view,
because it means . . .
I've made a mistake!

I know what that's
like.

Remember the old movie, Planes, Trains,and Automobiles?  
"You're going the wrong way!" If you don't get that, don't worry--it's for us old folks 40 and over. 

I know what it's like to make mistakes. I messed up just the other day, for everyone to see. Altered a picture in one program, which altered it in another, which altered it here on my blog . . . Frustrating!

I wish I could say that's the worst of my mistakes. It's not.

Everyone makes mistakes.

The Bible puts it this way in Romans 3:23. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Sin is a mistake. And we know that not all mistakes are accidental. I meant to alter that picture. I just didn't realize the consequences of doing so. My mistake was not sinful, but the same reasoning applies. Whether we intend to or not, we fail. We fall short of the glory of God.

It happens. To me. To you. To everyone. We fail to live up to the standard of God. Our thoughts, our actions, our words . . . One way or another, we're going to mess up. Already have, in fact. We know it. God knows it. It's out there.

What you don't do when you make a mistake.

I realized my mistake rather quickly. What to do? What to do? Not knowing how to fix it without doing more damage, I decided to ignore it, hoping it would go away. It didn't.


That's how the world would have us deal with our sins. Just ignore them, and they'll go away. They won't though. If you do not believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins, you will carry them with you beyond the grave into the depths of hell. That's harsh, but that's what the Bible says. Without Jesus, there is weeping and gnashing of teeth in the lake of fire. That's what happens if you ignore sin.

For the saved, there is the temptation to ignore sin as well. Jesus took our sins away, removed them as far as East is from West. Yes. The Bible also teaches that we are to confess our sins. We are to repent, or change our attitude about what we are doing wrong. Jesus warned Christians in Thyatira that they faced severe discipline if they did not repent. Read Revelation 2:18-29. It's real.

What do you do, then?

I hinted at this above. I confessed my mistake. We are to do the same with our sins. We are to confess them to God, and to each other. That doesn't mean that you go out and broadcast your dirty laundry to the world. That is not honoring to God. But what is honoring to God is having a friend, or group of friends, to whom you confess your weaknesses and failings.

This helps to keep us accountable. It is part of repentance. I can tell you from experience that sinful habits are much easier to break when you have a couple of guys who are going to ask you about it on Tuesday morning over breakfast. No one likes to admit a mistake. I sure didn't.

You don't have to carry your mistakes around.

We cannot live in the past. Sin is serious, and habitual sin must be stopped. But there is forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Some people carry their sin around with them. It's an anchor weighing them down.

That's not God's plan. He desires for us to be holy and perfect, but knows we cannot. His plan has always been for us to find forgiveness through His Son. When you find sin in your life, first of all, stop it! Then confess your sins. Give them to God. Jesus offers to take them from you. Allow Him! You cannot do anything about the sins in your past. Only Jesus can deal with them. Let them go. They'll only weigh you down.

Strive to be sinless, but when you fail, know that we all have. God is merciful through His Son. Mistakes abound, but God's mercy is more bountiful still!