Mistakes

I read a great editorial written in the Sunday, June 1, 2014 edition of the News Sun.  It was entitled, "Remember, Graduates:  Mistakes Are Part Of Life".   Besides the normal words of encouragement and congratulations to the class of 2014, it made the following point:

"Most of all, we hope you move on through your lives knowing how to learn from your mistakes because making mistakes is inevitable.  The brightest and strongest among us - even the most spiritual and thoughtful - all make mistakes.  We are human, after all."

How true!

Mistakes are a part of life.  It's sad, but true.  That's because we are a fallen, imperfect people that are prone to wonder away from what is right.  Yes, some people make more mistakes than others.  And yes, some mistakes have far greater consequences than others.  But at the end of the day, we all make mistakes one way or another.

In my 43 years on this Earth, I've made my share of mistakes.   Some were big and some were small.  Some were private and some were public.  So I have some experience in this area.

Here is what I've learned about making mistakes:

[1]  It's best to be honest, come clean, and admit it when you do wrong.  Hiding it or covering it up only makes things worse.  The first step in recovering from a mistake is to own it and be real about it.

[2]  Take personal responsibility for mistakes.  Never blame other people, tough circumstances, or anything else.  Be willing to say, "I did wrong, and it was 100% my fault."

[3]  Confess it to God and ask for forgiveness.  Open up to Him about it with humility and sincerity.  When you do this, He will pardon you and take your guilt away.

[4]  Apologize to people who were hurt by your mistake.  They may listen and forgive you, or they may not.  That's their choice.  But do your part and offer necessary apologies in an attempt to make peace.

[5]  Learn from your mistake.  Reflect on where you went wrong, and figure out how to live better the next time you are tempted to do the same dumb thing all over again.  Allow your mistakes to be growing opportunities that make you a better person.

[6]  Move on.  Don't spend the rest of your days beating yourself up over it.  Don't keep replaying your mistake over and over again in your mind.  Put it behind you.  Let it go.  Leave it in the past.  And launch forward enthusiastically into the next chapter of your life!

Mistakes.  They happen.  But you can recover from them.  So can I.  With God's help, we can heal and live after we do wrong.  And we can move forward into a better, brighter life in the days and years to come.