WAS IT A MISTAKE???
By Monica Priscilla
25th September, 2021
WAS IT A MISTAKE?
The love of a daddy and responsibilities of a good father drove Mr. Rexford to do the usual Sunday evening ironing of the uniforms of his wards for school the next day. In the process, a burning charcoal fell off from the side of the box-iron and burnt a portion of his beloved daughter’s dress. Not to mention how bad Mr. Rexford might have felt, the daughter knew there was no way her father will burn her dress seeing that he has been ironing for years and there has not been any of such occurrence. she was confident in her dad’s expertise in ironing whether out of ignorance or of the love she has for her dad. There was no way her dad who was experienced in ironing could burn her dress. In anger of who did that to her two weeks old uniform, she shouted out loud “which fool did this to my dressâ€? oops! too harsh a word for a little girl of her age; but anything for daddy you know…well that was just by the way. Before she could say anything further, there came her dad from inside the room, looked her in the eyes and said “I am sorry Monica, I mistakenly burnt your dressâ€. Oh my gosh! Thought little Monica to herself. What did I just do? Insulted my father? Oh no she never meant it that way. She was just trying to make it known to everyone her dad doesn’t burn dresses.
Pause and reflect on how foolish she might have been looking now. Got the picture? How different would you look from your reflection on little Monica supposing you were her?
The above happened 19years ago between my dad and I. An incident that took numerous years to get over. Though very young, I knew how bad I felt. I can’t describe perfectly in words how the actual feeling was. I just knew up front that there was no way I could forgive myself. I remember how dumped I became after daddy said sorry. I said sorry too but sorry wasn’t sufficient a word to make me feel I had apologized enough for the situation. No word could explain at that moment how sorry I was. I wept when I saw the sad look on my dad’s face. It was all my fault I thought to myself. I wish I could do something to further communicate to daddy how sorry I was. I just could not forgive myself. I am sure dad forgave me and shook off the feeling he had if actually he felt bad knowing I was just a little kid. Conversation resumed normally after a while of silence but I felt uncomfortable around daddy. It was a mistake I made. I should not have said what I said irrespective of who was responsible. Connection from my side wasn’t as it used to be as I was filled with so much guilt of insulting my dad. I really loved and still love him so much and wish it had not happened that way.
Good narrative huh? Can you familiarize any moment in your life with it? Where you felt or are still feeling the situation is too complicated to just let go and move on? Ever felt your sin is too sinful or bigger than the cross? Maybe yours even resulted in losing that special someone, or someone been dismissed from the job, or even losing their life. I may not perfectly understand but to some degree I can. This write-up is perfect for you. Let’s get into it. I pray that you will be ministered to.
Societies are beginning to dwell and make decisions on numerous lies, making them look acceptable to some degree. One of which is the lie that self-inflicted pain of any kind (psychological, emotional, physical) isn’t bad so far as the one involved is the source of an awful outcome whether or not it was a mistake. It is time to take off our denominational spectacles and religious robes and look into what the Word of God has to say about handling our mistakes as believers. We have to come to the light that just because the society has come to accept something doesn’t make them right. The Word is our manual in handling all things that concerns us as believers. Handling mistakes is one of the subjects that must be mastered well at the individual, family, community and national level. This piece shall be centered on the individual level.
Was it a mistake? Yes, a ‘mis-take’ I mean. You missed the ‘taking’ right? It wasn’t what you wanted to see happen. You didn’t plan it that way. You wouldn’t have done that but it happened somehow that, things went beyond your expectation. Unfortunately, it’s too late to help it and there is nothing to be done than to move on. The more you seem to think about it, you become depressed and bitter. The only thing left with now is to be able to forgive yourself and move on. It’s difficult. In fact, very difficult sometimes but it’s possible. It’s amazing sometimes how quick we are to judge Adam and Eve for what they have brought upon humanity; Maybe we should take a break now to consider briefly how bad they felt after realizing the weight of what they did. I can confidently say that they felt worse than any of us have ever felt or would ever feel here on earth. Their mistake was going to be eternal; every generation under the sun will have to hear of their mistake of how they let sin into the world. Imagine yourself bearing a tag similar to theirs. They didn’t just disrespect anyone but God. Can you ever forgive yourself?
Amidst our mistakes and numerous flaws, God still loves us. That is what makes Him God and a loving father. Always wanting us to be His besties. He no longer calls us servants but friends. He knows we are humans and such things are going to be part of us, He made room for that to be part of humanity not to let our mistakes drive us away from Him but rather to keep us more dependent and closer to him. Knowledge of how frail we are should keep us on our knees daily before Him in fellowship and not discourage us, for in our weakness is His strength made perfect. His power is shown when we seem inadequate and not Good enough. Your being broken is an opportunity for God to demonstrate His mighty working power in you. If we are always strong and never broken nor make mistakes, will we not think it is all our effort? do you not think that pride may set in? But if we make mistakes and encounter some challenges on the way, we learn lessons that equip us for the next level, how to handle situations better as well as grow in character and above all we let God be God. We put Him in the rightful place to show out who He actually is and his greatness within and without. Above all, in order for us not to feel discouraged by our mistakes, He has made provision for Forgiveness so that even before we feel guilty and condemn ourselves, we know that we are forgiven. This is to give us the energy to continue in the good things we are doing without been stopped by a mistake that interrupted it. He doesn’t want us to quit because of our mistakes so He made the provision already. He made His Forgiveness available to us in Christ Jesus. Embracing this whole subject of forgiveness will enable us to continue whatever good thing it is that we were doing with the original energy, joy, and enthusiasm as though there was never a mistake. Forgiveness is meant to help us live in full confidence as though sin never existed between man and God. With this, we can go in and out and draw from God every moment without any hindrance. Unfortunately, many of us are not able to receive this provision of forgiveness or maybe we don’t believe it enough or we feel the forgiveness He is talking about does not cover some mistakes of ours. Your mistake/ sin is not too big to be forgiven. We feel we have to do some additional things like self-torture and denying ourselves of certain good things etc. to make us feel forgiven before we can accept the truth that we are forgiven. In other words, we try to add up to grace.
The Just/justified (those declared righteous by God in Christ) shall live by faith (trust or confidence in the abilities God). In other words, those who are in Christ will not have to understand everything fully before acting on it. They believe and move with what God tells them whether or not it makes sense. Of a truth, spiritual things do not make sense to our senses. All the five (5) senses are physical and to some extent may not be able to interpret the spiritual. To wait in an attempt to make sense out of a spiritual “something†could mean unbelieve. Seeing must not always precede believe. Remember what The Lord Jesus told Thomas…blessed are those that have not seen yet have believed... He was prophesying to us that a time is coming where we will be living by faith and not by our senses. No longer the things we have heard, seen and touched only (1John 1:1) but in spirit and in truth as stated by Christ (John 4:24). You cannot see or feel the forgiveness of God. It doesn’t appeal to the senses. Your sense knowledge cannot appreciate it. We have to believe it because God says it. Did He say we are forgiven? What then are you waiting to here again? We don’t have to understand it fully. Believe it, act on it and walk in the forgiveness that God wrought for you in Christ. That is the definition of faith. You are Justified…walk by faith!
God is aiming at His nature in a believer’s life. One of His numerous natures is that he is a God that Forgives. Because God is forgiving, He desires that we are able to forgive as well. Unfortunately, many of us are not realizing that we find it hard to forgive other people because we are not able to forgive ourselves first. We cannot give what we do not have. Everything God gives to us, He first possess.
Do not be bitter about yourself concerning a mistake you made. Was it a mistake? I ask you again. If yes then receive the forgiveness that God provides, forgive yourself and get up. There is no condemnation for those in Christ. If God isn’t going to allow anyone to condemn you, why condemn yourself? You have been broken enough, if you forgive yourself, others will forgive you and you can better forgive others. Like my dad and I in the beginning of the write up, I was forgiven but I was buried in my guilt which affected my fellowship with my dad to some extent. Until we learn to forgive ourselves, we cannot fellowship with others let alone with God. Bitterness affects everything round us negatively. There is however a good news… Grace is available. You can. It’s time to renew your mind. Do not let the devil hold you down with the lie that your mistake is too big to be forgiven. God is not mad at you. Cheer up!!!
Prayer
Thanks you father for your forgiveness. I receive it and walk in it. Help me to forgive myself in order to be able to forgive others. Thank you for hearing me in Jesus’ name. Much love big Dad.
Thanks a lot sister