Mistakes. We all make them.
The question isn't whether we're going to make them or not,
but rather how we're going to react to them afterwards.
I'm a firm believer in the idea that God works through our mistakes.
Grace: "the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings"
Here's the thing. God grants an immense and unending amount of grace because mistakes are inevitable.
Many of us get caught up in the mistake we make, and not what we can make out of it.
Once a mistake is done, it's done. Unfortunately there is often no taking back the decisions we make.
What we need to focus on is making something of the position our mistakes put us in.
Just because we end up in a certain place because of a regrettable choice does not mean we can not work from that point on and made good of it.
We, as Christians are sinners saved by grace.
It's not a matter of how much we sin, but simply when.
Too often, the type of mistake we make becomes our main focus.
We dote on the fault we committed.
We worry about who it makes us as a person.
We overthink the kink it could have put in our plan and what it means in terms of our future.
The whole time we're focusing on the negative
God is rearranging aspects in our lives to fit the predicament we've gotten ourselves into.
We often forget that as Christians, God is continually working through us despite what we think.
Our flaws and our imperfections are what make us human, and being human is what enables us to relate to others and spread the gospel through our personal testimonies.
If we put our trust in Him, He will continually put his healing hand on us.
When we take a step back and say,
"God, I know I've messed up but use my mistakes for your gain"
we are met with opportunities and blessings that we may never have imagined.
When we go to conventions or church services, we are often moved by the story told as part of the sermon. This story, or the person's personal testimony, would be nothing without the mistakes that were part of the journey.
Imagine someone walking up on stage to tell you about how his life has been touched by the work of our Savior and saying, "I've never made a mistake, but try to learn from my story."
To be loved for being perfect is an impossible and unrealistic goal.
To be loved despite our flaws and to be looked at as an asset to a perfect kingdom because of what we offer through our experiences is grace.
To accept what we've done and work through those mistakes to glorify Him is what it means to be a follower of Christ.
These aspects, in the long run, are the things we need to remember.