Admit Your Mistakes

When we recognize that we have failed, the first thing we should do is admit our mistakes. David had a hard time doing this. What was his first response? Anger. David was enraged! At himself? Nope. He was mad at God for killing Uzzah. He was so mad that he abandoned his plans and left the ark of God at the house of Obed-edom, an Israelite living in Gath. When we fail, we often want to place the blame on someone else. We love to deflect our own mistakes. Often fear is involved. If we admit that we messed up, then maybe we’re admitting that we are a mess up. But freedom comes when we take responsibility.

This happened in my life recently. A Sunday school teacher was going to be away and unable to teach her class. I knew she was going to be out of town, and she thought it was sufficient to tell me. I’m not usually involved in the logistics of Sunday school. When no one showed up to teach her class, one parent was very upset. Instead of taking responsibility and finding a solution to the problem, I pointed out that the Sunday school director should have solved the problem. I was trying to off-load the situation onto someone else when, in reality, it was my fault. The courage that it takes to admit your mistakes and accept responsibility releases soul toxins. In this situation, I quickly realized what I was doing and apologized to everyone involved.

Failure is never not an option. Following God can be risky. When you take on that challenge, you may find yourself making a mistake, taking a misstep, messing up royally even. The longer it takes you to admit your mistake, the longer you will stay out from under God’s blessing.

Guess what happened to Obed-edom, the man with whom David left the ark. God blessed him and his household! In the three months that the ark stayed there, they saw increased favor from God. The favor that was meant for David and the rest of Israel God had redirected. Why? Because it took David three months to admit his mistake.

If you live any length of time, you will fail. Instead of being embarrassed, embrace it. If you have someone in your life trying to shame you for your failures, it probably means they’re ashamed of their own failures. We all make mistakes. It’s a fact of life. Those who grow are those who admit their mistakes. Those who never admit failure are cursed to repeat it over and over again.