2 Corinthians 5:19 (NKJV)
“That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
Last time, when we talked about negative labels we looked at how people are masters summing up your life in one sentence because of something bad that you went through. One of the things I find very disturbing is not the fact that people refuse to let go of your past negative experience, but the fact that you yourself refuse to let it go. Forgiving yourself is like turning the key on your own shackles.
Who doesn’t make mistakes? If you don’t want to make a mistake, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing and you will not make a mistake. But as long as we live in this human tabernacle, we are prone to make mistakes. The greatest error of it all is to let any mistake destroy your faith in God and confidence in yourself. God writes straight with crooked lines. He blesses us in spite of our blunders.
Our God is a God who not merely restores, but He also takes our mistakes and follies and incorporates them into His plans for us and brings good out of them. J. I. Parker says “This is part of the wonder of His gracious sovereignty.”
Paul the apostle said, “God Himself is in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself and not IMPUTING our sins against us.” Did you hear that? It means He is not holding it against you. The question is, how do we go about dealing with our mistakes?
The first sensible course is to confess to God that you made a mistake. To confess that you were wrong yesterday is only to acknowledge that you are a little wiser today. Secondly, study and analyze why you made the mistake. This is necessary because only fools repeat their mistakes. The third step is to learn from it. If you don’t learn from your mistakes, there’s no sense making them. Fourth, forget it and move on. And finally, figure out doing better next time. The best way to silence your accusers is to do better than you did the last time.
Joy Ridderholf, founder of Gospel Recordings, Inc., once wrote: “Count it all joy – even when you feel stupid.” In response to this statement, someone wrote and asked her, “Can a person rejoice in her own blunders?” Her answer was:“Being notoriously absent-minded, I have made some bad ones! But I do not mean to and each time I hope to do better. However, I immediately begin to rejoice in it. Furthermore, I thank God for permitting me to make the mistake.”That, ladies and gentlemen is the right attitude.
The message Bible states in 2nd Corinthians 5:19: “God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing.” He knows how to turn our messes into messages. So let go and move on. Let people say whatever they want to say, forgive you and move on. There are more people cheering for you than your haters.
I’ll leave you for now. If we don’t meet again, I’ll see you at the dinner table in Papa’s house.
Pastor King