Mistakes & Failures
Sunday’s Monday
Pat and I were blessed this week with a visit from a daughter (Lisa) and granddaughter (Haley) who live a ways down the road from us. Last week we had lunch with a daughter (Christy) and her family and to add to this I spent some time with a son-in-law (Tim). I love family time for improving our days! All is well on our home front, as we the same for yours.
Again, I give thanks to God that I live in America and have access to some of God’s greatest teachers and teachings. I’m becoming so intertwined with followers of Jesus that are so far advanced than I and I’m not intimidated, I love it! They have so much to teach and I have so much to learn. God is at the helm and He leads me where I need to be! The subject God chose for me this week is mistakes and failures. Why! Because I often overdo both. Being born and raised in North Carolina, I have always heard and whole heartedly believed, (that is until this week) in the myth “a mistake is not a mistake as long as you learned from it” or “unlearned mistakes become repeat failures.” Truthfully that’s just Wrong! Please follow me from under our Christian bed covers (if you will), where we hide feeling all safe while deceiving ourselves with the falsehood God is pleased with the way we live. It will only take a few minutes of course you will only go as far as you like anyway (which is sadly true in everything we do). OK, back to mistakes and failures. This week I had the privilege of watching the new John Maxwell podcast highlighting his book Leadershift. It is a carnal teaching filled with Christian common sense for living. The podcast brought a cycle of success to the table which is, test, fail, learn, improve and re-enter. The bible warns in, 1 Peter 4:12 (ESV), beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. These test attack all of us from every side, most all the time, for the grooming of our eternity (heaven or hell). Test in which we will make mistakes and even fail at times, however it’s important to remember, the whole purpose of a test is to discover how much one knows and how committed one is toward the subject. My heart becomes sadden when I hear a Christian say and I have said it before, but no more. The reason your world is going to hell in a hand basket is simple, you’re doing something that Satan hates, which could easily be a half truth. It could just as easily be, God teaching us something which we refuse to learn. This is how life works, we as humans paint every picture with the colors which please us and then pass them along as truth. Soon our little world has no order about it, then God gets our attention! My pastor would describe this as a spiritual course correction. James 1:12 ESV, blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. As a human we will make mistakes, some we’ll learn from, others not so much and the not so much we’re doom to repeat. However, I was given an important key to the victory over those repeated mistakes. The Leadershift cycle holds the secret which for whatever reason I wasn’t recognizing. Now that I have it, I can see where God has displayed this wisdom to me, all of my life. It is a must to follow this cycle all the way through, half measures will result in a false security of accomplishment. 1st; we will be tested and for most 2nd we will fail, 3rd we will learn (I pray), notice this is where the myth stops leaving those to repeat steps 1-3 again and again. The simple truth and I don’t know for the love of me why I hadn’t grasp this before now. I guess I knew but I didn’t know I had it! Step 4 is the all-important secret here; I tested, I failed, I learned and now “I Improve” or “apply what I learned” when I failed. The bible says in, Philippians 4:9 (ESV), What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Practice, apply, add to your everyday life and taste that which is good. All the knowledge in the world is worthless when it is without application or purpose. Now once you have committed step 4 to God, it’s time for the scary step, number 5, re-enter or take what you have learned into the market place, to be a difference in this world. Remember, Proverbs 22:3 (ESV), The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it. Your choice!
HAVE A BLESSED WEEK BY BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS!
COMMENTS WELCOME…pal249@hotmail.com…02/17/2019