Good morning…
Mistakes. I hate making them. I am leading book discussions on the gifts of imperfection and discovering the other side of chaos, but I never get comfortable with my own imperfections and the chaos they wreak.
I made a selfish mistake earlier in the week, unintentional but selfish. The offended person prayed over her response for several days before sharing her truth. I was mortified. How could I have been so insensitive, so unconsciously blind? I look up the word “unconsciously” and am greeted by these synonyms. Without awareness. Not intentionally realized, planned out, done. Occurring below the level of conscious thought.
There are different levels in all of us. There is a dark, nebulous place beneath our conscious awareness, a place where we possess no cognitive clue. That is, until we do something unkind, something irrational, something self-centered and our poor decision is made embarrassingly public. We miss the bullseye of perfection, and our sinful human nature is undeniably exposed.
When I make a mistake, at first, I want to hide. I want to blame. I want to cover up with an excuse. But next, I want to learn. I want to be better. I want to glean new insight from the humbling situation. “Insight” means intuitive understanding. Discernment. Accessed wisdom.
God is the only one who knows the way to wisdom, because he sees everything beneath the heavens. When God divided out the wind and the water, and when he decided the path for rain and lightning, he also determined the truth and defined wisdom. God told us, “Wisdom means that you respect me, the Lord, and turn from sin” (Job 28:23-28, CEV).
Going from not knowing to knowing is the only way we learn. Moving from sinning to not sinning is our heart’s deepest desire. Might we give ourselves the grace of God as we learn from our mistakes?
Right now, fresh truth shines on the path before my feet: “Respect the LORD, turn from sin, and walk away more keenly aware.”
…Sue…
