Repeated Mistakes

Every year about this time, the dead flowers are removed from this flower bed at an office building near me, leaving a wide brown swath of dirt for a few days. Then some fall flowers are planted to replace the ones that don’t thrive in this spot where hey get full sun.

This year, they did add the elephant ear, which have done pretty well. But for some reason, each spring the flowers of choice are ones that really would prefer a shadier location.

Do you ever repeat the same old mistakes, year after year, month after month, even day after day? I know I do.

Sometimes I plead ignorance—I just don’t realize that what I’m doing is dumb, or wrong, or hurtful to someone I love. Other times, I know that my actions are not pleasing to God, but I choose to continue because I’m weak. Or just because, deep down, I don’t want to change.

But the good news is that God can help us avoid making the same mistakes over and over again, if we ask. King David wrote in Psalm 19: 12-13, “Who can notice every mistake? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep me from sinning. Do not let anyone gain control over me. Then I will be blameless, and I will be free from any great offense” (GWT).

Not only will He keep us from sinning, but He will forgive even those offenses that no one else knows about. And once He forgives, we become sin-free in God’s eyes.

Instead of planting the same flowers in the wrong place, I’m going to ask God to help me plant beautiful flowers in the right places—in the lives of others. I trust Him to change my heart so that I want to make the effort to control my tongue, my mind, and my heart.

What repeated mistake will you ask Him to help you with today?

“Forgive the Typos”

Where I work, we often receive copies of books for possible review in our magazine. One that arrived the other day had been self-published.

Now, many good books have been self published. What struck me about this one was the white index card stuck in the middle that had a hand-written note stating, “Please forgive the typos.”

The author may have had very good reasons for not realizing there were errors until after the book had been printed. No doubt, he wanted us to know that he realized the mistakes were there.

Isn’t that often what we do? We do something that we know is wrong, then we say, “God, please forgive my mistakes."

I have good intentions not to gossip, but I hear about a co-worker who is having problems and I tell a friend about it. Later, I pray, “I’m sorry, God. Please forgive me.”

Or God has convicted me that my tendency to complain is wrong, and I vow to keep a positive attitude. And I do—until a project with an unrealistic deadline is assigned. Then the old spirit rears up and spits out sarcastic, bitter comments. But again, I say, “Oops, God. Just don’t pay any attention to my errors.”

“Please forgive my typos,” I say to God again and again. The good news is, He does. “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west” declares Psalm 103:12 (NLT).

Even though God forgives my sins, I wonder if I am taking the easy way out when I knowingly commit a “mistake,” expecting God to overlook it. Still, it is reassuring to know that I can go to Him when I mess up and that He will, indeed, forgive me.

So today, Lord, when I sin—because I will, whether intentionally or not—please forgive my typos.

Kicking and Screaming, Part 1

Ever feel like you’re being pulled kicking and screaming into something you don’t want to do?

That’s the way I feel lately—like Jesus is pulling me. Not to do something bad, of course, or even to do anything uncomfortable.

The truth is, there’s this habit I’ve picked up. Not one of the “big” sins, mind you, like drinking or gambling, but one of those Paul talks about: “They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness.…They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful,…unloving and unmerciful. Although they know full well God's just sentence—that those who practice such things deserve to die—they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them” (Romans 1:29-32, HCSB).

Ouch. Gossips and slanderers are right there alongside God-haters.

Somehow, over the last few years, I’ve slipped into this habit. I don’t want to give it up. To give it up, I’d have to actually forgive someone who hurt me. Jesus says forgiveness means forgetting, too. At least, that’s what He does.

So if I forgive this person, I also have to forget how hurt I was. And not ever bring it up again—to anybody. It feels like that would be saying it wasn’t important—that I wasn’t important. That how I felt and what I had done wasn’t important. I’m not sure I’m ready to accept that.

But a good friend says we—all of us—need to pray and ask God to sweep out the hidden corners of our lives. She asked me to be part of a prayer group at work. I said I would, because I know God wants me to.

That doesn’t mean I have to like it. So I’ll try, but I’ll be kicking and screaming on the inside.