Learn From Your Mistakes

When I was a child I did a lot of dumb things. I would love to be able to tell you that I no longer do dumb things but my wife reads this and will not allow me to lie. I can say that the stuff I did as a kid I do not do now and hopefully the stuff I do now I will not do when I am older. I try to learn from the mistakes that I make and use the experiences to grow. We will never be perfect. We will always make mistakes and slip up, but it is how we deal with our mistakes that define who you are. A great example for us is found in the book of Philemon where we see a runaway slave, Onesimus. He ran away from his duties and responsibilities and caused Philemon much pain and loss in the process. The fact that Onesimus ran off though did not define who he was. The fact that he was willing to own up to what he did and returns to face Philemon does. His returning to face those that he had wronged showed the heart and character of the man more so than his selfish act. One selfish act does not define who you are, what you do after the act is done does. You might be ashamed and feel like you let people down and maybe you should feel that way. But what do you think people will be most upset with, the fact that you messed up once, or the fact that you have not changed your ways and continue to mess up? Healing can not happen unless you are willing to face up to what you have done. Paul understood this when he sent Onesimus back to Philemon. It might be hard to do and it might be uncomfortable, but in the end you will have regained their respect.