Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,
but the one who
confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
An grizzled old sea captain was often spotted by his crew
opening a small, locked box on the bridge, peeking inside at its contents, and
shutting the lid before anyone might glimpse inside. The crew's curiosity grew
and, on the day he retired, they rushed to the bridge, cut the lock and looked
inside the box. There they found a sheet of paper that read, "Left --
port. Right -- starboard."
Are you afraid to make a mistake? Some people feel as if
no one is listening until they make a mistake! If you goofed in a big way
recently, maybe you need to hear about Roy Riegels.
The story is told about Roy and the 1929 Rose Bowl
championship football game between Georgia Tech and the University of
California. Shortly before half-time, a man named Roy Riegels made a huge
mistake. He got the ball for California and somehow became confused and started
running in the wrong direction! One of his team mates outdistanced him and
tackled him after he had run 65 yards just before he would have scored for the
opposing team. Of course, Georgia Tech gained a distinct advantage through the
error.
The men filed off the field and went into the dressing
room. All but Riegels sat down on the benches and on the floor. He wrapped his
blanket around his shoulders, sat in a corner, put his face in his hands and
wept.
Coach Nibbs Price struggled with what to do with Roy. He
finally looked at the team and said simply, "Men, the same team that
played the first half, will start the second."
All the players except Roy trotted out to the field. He
didn't budge. Though the coach looked back and called to him again, he remained
huddled in the corner. Coach Price went to him and said,
"Roy, didn't you hear me?"
"Coach," he said, "I can't do it. I've
ruined you; I've ruined UCLA; I've ruined myself. I couldn't face that crowd in
the stadium to save my life."
But Coach Price put his hand on Riegels' shoulder and
said, "Roy, get up and go on back; the game is only half over."
Roy Riegels went back and those Tech men will tell you
that they have never seen a man play football as Roy Riegels played that second
half.
The next time you make a mistake, it might be good to
remember the A-B-C method of handling mistakes.
A - Acknowledge your error and accept responsibility for
it. Don't try to fix the blame on other people or circumstances. When you fix
the blame, you never fix the problem.
B - Be gentle with yourself. The game is only half over.
This is not the first mistake you ever made, nor will it be the last. You are
still a good and caring person. Besides, later you may laugh at the blunder, so
try to lighten up a bit now.
C - Correct it and move on. "Those who are wise
don't consider it a blessing to make no mistakes," says Wang Yang-Ming.
"They believe instead that the great virtue is the ability to correct
mistakes and to continually reinvent oneself."
Now, go make your mistakes. And though some may be no
less than spectacular, if you practice the A-B-C method, you'll live to tell
about all of them and laugh about most of them.
Dear Lord, we thank You for the forgiveness that You
freely give to each of us. Help us when we fail to acknowledge our error, be
gentle with our self and correct it and move on. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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