Mistakes: A Fact of Life

If there is one thing I know for sure, it is that in life, we will all make mistakes. Mistakes are defined as errors in action, calculation, opinion, or judgment caused by poor reasoning, carelessness, or insufficient knowledge. We may do something we should not have done, or leave undone something that we ought to have done. We may say something that we should not have said, or kept silent when we should have offered our voice.  At some point, or another, despite our best and most valiant efforts, each of us will fall short. Here, I am not talking about sin–falling short of God’s mark–but rather, those daily bloopers, lapses, and blunders we make.

Another way of understanding making mistakes is to misstep or stumble. At the studio where our girls used to take dance lessons there was a sign above one of the classrooms that read, “When you stumble, make it part of the dance…” What a fine lesson for dancing and for life. Notice the quotation does not say “If you stumble.” Rather it says “When you stumble…” pointing to this idea that mistakes are a fact of life. Also, notice the positive invitation given in response to the mistake. Many of us, when we make mistakes, are harshly criticized. And sometimes the voice of critique comes from within.  Many of us, when we stumble, get the wind knocked out of us. We stop moving and focus on the mistake. But instead of letting our mistakes stop us in our tracks, the sign invites us to find a way to learn from our mistakes and incorporate the lessons into living more fully. 

Family, I invite us to approach our mistakes, and the mistakes of others, with forgiveness and grace. For in doing so, follow God’s choreography—not skipping a beat, even when the circumstances of life, our shortcomings, or the shortcomings of others try to stop us in our tracks.

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Donna Owusu-Ansah