Courageous by Dr. Robert JeffressSýnishorn

Learn From the Past

In 1971, ninety-one people perished in the crash of Lansa Flight 508 in Peru. Juliane Koepcke, age 14, was the sole survivor, enduring eleven days in an Amazonian rain forest. Her story is remarkable not only because she miraculously lived after being ejected from the plane but because she was able to trek through the jungle with multiple injuries in only a sundress and one sandal.

Regardless of your circumstance’s intensity or difficulty, survival often hinges not so much on doing everything exactly right but on not compounding mistakes by making additional ones. And one of the best ways to mitigate missteps is learning from the experiences and examples of the past.

During her ordeal in the Peruvian rain forest, Juliane relied on her past experience of living in the jungle and the things she had learned from her parents. Her father had taught her that streams led to rivers and rivers led to people. He also had taught her that stingrays and piranhas thrive in shallow water and that caimans are virtually harmless to humans. Her mother, an ornithologist, taught her the habits of jungle birds and their sounds. Juliane’s ability to remember and apply the lessons she had learned saved her life.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we must be diligent to develop the survival skill of learning from the past. Our ability to apply what we have learned and to avoid others’ mistakes—or our own past mistakes—can make all the difference in thriving with our faith intact.

As you consider your past mistakes, you might be wondering, Can God ever forgive me? Can I ever hope to recover from my mistake? The answer is yes. When I reflect on my own mistakes—and the resulting consequences—I think about King David’s testimony about his sin with Bathsheba and the steep price he paid for that sin. Although his failure was moral and mine was not, I can still identify with his words: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word” (Ps. 119:67). 

David’s past failures motivated him to walk more closely with his God in the future. Failure doesn’t have to be the last chapter in our life story. God’s grace reaches into our failures and weaknesses and asks us to learn from them and move forward in forgiveness.

Learning from our mistakes requires we forgive ourselves. Sincerely confess your sins and receive God’s forgiveness. God will use everything we give Him for our good and His glory.