Our Mistakes

Ever make a mistake? Ever make the same mistake more than once? I have. Ever hear that we can learn from our mistakes? I actually believe this statement because I’ve learned a thing or two from my erroneous ways.

Becoming aware of my blunders, blotches, and bungles and then learning something from them has taken time. After all, who likes to acknowledge when we’ve done something wrong? And yet, there are a few good people in my life who have pointed out my wrong doings in such a gentle manner that they make me want to try and to do things differently.  

Noticing and admitting to my foul ups can at first be embarrassing, but without fessing up to myself, or someone else, I’m doomed to go on repeating the same action, attitude or misconception over and over and over again. 

Also, when I recognize my erroneous ways, I may discover a particular and repeating pattern of mine. I’ve discovered that discovering a pattern can actually lead me out of an unproductive pattern. 

Case in point. Once upon a time, I felt very responsible to correct what I deemed as unproductive patterns of thinking in others. Where or how this kind of thinking originated from does not matter. What matters is that I strongly believed that when I noticed something to be out of sorts in the life of a friend or family member, it was up to point it out and help them to correct it. 

Consequently, when a friend of mine confided in me that she hated it when she could not speak up for herself around her husband, well of course I felt it was my responsibility to help her.   

Imagine the afternoon that I was visiting this friend of mine and her husband comes home. In my mind, it was the perfect opportunity for me to tell him that he needed to let her speak her mind. After all, I was there. I was on her side. I could help her get through this.

 But what ensued was instead, well let’s just say that it did not turn out very well for anyone. 

I went home wondering if I still had a friend. Telling my husband of my goof up, he too wondered if I still had a friend. 

But, the next day, I found out I still had a friend who was not afraid to tell me in her gentle way, that she was not ready to take on the task of speaking up for herself in front of her husband.

Though I learned from that lesson, I’ve still stumbled back into my erroneous ways of thinking. I still sometimes think that it is up to me to point out and help out those who I think need my help. But when I see myself headed in that direction, I stop myself sooner than later. 

Why Bother?

Why bother admitting our mistakes? When we admit that our line of thinking is out of line, then we are more likely to stop thinking out of the lines.

P.S.  I wrote the story of my journey to forgiveness for those who, like me, know they need to change, but are not quite sure where to start. You can find A Heart’s Journey To Forgiveness at Redemption Press and Amazon.