MISTAKES ALWAYS TEACH YOU, AND THEY RARELY RUIN THE PIECE

Psalm 37:24 (ESV)

Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

    for the Lord upholds his hand.

Over the years I have spent hours and hours woodworking, During that time I’ve come to realize how much woodworking relates to our walk with God. I’m not alone.

Today I am sharing the 5th way I’ve discovered that woodworking affirms the spiritual life.

“Measure twice and cut once,” the old saying goes. I have a friend who likes to joke, “I cut it three times and it’s still too short!” Mistakes cost time and money. They can also change your language in the workshop.

But mistakes are only wasted if you don’t learn from them. This principle is true in life as well. Some of the best lessons have come through failure.

I have a friend who says “Experience is an excellent substitute teacher to instruction ignored.”

I know every flaw in every project I’ve made. My wife always reminds me that I am the only one that knows. If I choose to, I can focus in on those blemishes and miss the fact that the finished product is still a functional and attractive piece of furniture. Imperfections up close don’t keep the piece from being effectively used or from looking beautiful.

We are flawed individuals. Yet God still powerfully uses us in spite of our imperfections. What’s more, He thinks we’re beautiful because when He sees us He sees the holiness of His Son, Jesus.

Dear Lord, we thank You that You can take our imperfections and use them. Help us to not dwell on the mistakes we make but instead learn from them. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Have you asked God to look at your heart?

Psalm 139:23-24 (ESV)

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!

    Try me and know my thoughts!

24 And see if there be any grievous way in me,

    and lead me in the way everlasting!

It was Saturday morning as Jake, an avid hunter, woke up ready to go bag the first deer of the season. He walked down to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, and to his surprise he found his wife, Alice, sitting there, fully dressed in camouflage.

Jake asked her, "What are you up to?"

Alice smiled. "I'm going hunting with you!" Jake had many reservations about this, but reluctantly decided to take her along.

When they arrived at the hunting site, Jake set his wife safely up in the tree stand and told her, "If you see a deer, take careful aim and I'll come running back as soon as I hear the shot." He walked away with a smile on his face knowing that Alice couldn't bag an elephant, much less a deer.

However, within ten minutes, Jake was startled as he heard an array of gunshots. Quickly, Jake ran back. As he got closer to her stand, he heard Alice screaming: "Get away from my deer!"

Confused, Jake raced faster towards his screaming wife. And again he heard her yell, "Get away from my deer!" Followed by another volley of gunfire!

Now within sight of where he had left his wife, Jake was surprised to see a cowboy, with his hands high in the air. The cowboy, obviously distraught, said, "Okay, lady, okay!!!! You can have your deer!!! Just let me get my saddle off it!"

I suppose we've all done some pretty stupid things in our lifetime. I can tell you that when I do something stupid, I don't want anyone else to find out about it. In fact, I will go to great lengths to make sure that no one learns about it. I don't want the embarrassment of ridicule. I don't want to hear, "I told you so!" Or "You should have known better!" Or "What were you thinking?!" So I'm reluctant to share my shortcomings.

That's why there's a passage in Psalm 139 which is a bit perplexing:

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24)

Do you see what David is doing? He is inviting God to take a look at his heart and find all the stupid things that are hidden there. Why would he invite God to do that?

I can only think of one reason. David had an absolute trust in God. He knew that God loved him. He knew that instead of ridiculing him or berating him upon finding fault, God would do everything in His power to help David to find restoration and peace of mind. David had the utmost confidence in God. How I desire that in my life!

Dear Lord, we know that you are aware of everything in our life, both good and bad. We know that we can't hide from you, but we confess that we often desire to do so. We want to be open like David. We invite you into our heart and ask You to show us our shortcomings, and lead us in Your paths of righteousness. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Handling Mistakes

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.

Are You Practicing Your Mistakes

Colossians 3:23-24 (New International Version)

23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Caroline, was a talented musician even as a teen-ager but after a compliment she would always say, "Thank you, but "I play well only because of my teacher, you should hear her, she plays like the touch of angel wings on the strings." She was referring to Katherine who was not only her teacher, an exceptional violinist, but also a very kind, generous, elect lady who not only taught her music but many good things about life.

After Katherine's death it was very hard for Caroline to put her heart into her playing. She and her parents were at a loss as to where they could possibly find another teacher. After several weeks went by they were surprised by a phone call from, Jason, the son of this beloved teacher. He quietly said, "If you ever feel like you could drive, once a week, the 3 hours, to where I live, I would like to have Caroline as my student and try to take up where my mother left off - I think she would like that."

Needless to say they gave little thought to the drive. The important things was to begin lessons again and to have lessons from this extraordinary young man, who was already a member of a well known symphony orchestra, seemed like a God-send.

The young student had let her violin lay in its case for several weeks but now music filled their home. She realized she had much practicing ahead to make up for those weeks of letting the violin lay idle. Saturday morning came almost to quickly and anticipation turned to apprehension. As they turned on the street where the new teacher lived, Caroline turned to her mother and said, "Mom, I don't think he will teach me very long." "Oh, I don't mind waiting an hour, it will be worth it," Joanna, her mother replied. "No, I don't mean that, I mean he will listen to me and say, "Caroline, get a life! I don't have time for you, I can tell you haven't been practicing." Joanna, offered the needed encouragement and Caroline slowly walked up the sidewalk to the front door.

It took only a few minutes of visiting for Caroline to became comfortable with the new teacher. Jason reminded her so much of his mother. For the next 15 minutes he instructed her to play certain pieces for him and then suggested a rest. Caroline knew she had not played as she had done in the past and the apprehension returned. Jason, picked up her violin and looked at it and then at her as he said, "You are a good violinist, Caroline but you can become a great violinist, it is your choice, if you will remember one thing, "Don't practice your mistakes." For a moment she looked at him with surprise and wonder, he wasn't reprimanding her; he was instructing and encouraging her just as his mother had. "Oh, alright, I won't - not ever again," she quickly replied.

Jason smiled; he could remember those years when he was her age and that same lesson his mother had taught him. "Don't practice your mistakes." Those words had been a great influence in every phase of his life, as well as the reminder, "It is your choice."

After Caroline left, he sat a few minutes alone in the music room. His wife wondering why he hadn't come into to lunch went in search of him. He smiled as she came through the door, "My, sweet I don't think it will be long until we hear violin music that will sound like the whisper of angel wings on the strings."

"How did it go," Joanna asked when Caroline got into the car. "Mother, I know this sounds strange, but it felt just like Katherine was there as Jason talked with me, I'll bet if she were still alive she would have said just what Jason said as I left, "Drive carefully and don't forget Caroline, don't practice your mistakes." Joanna reached over and gave her daughter a warm hug.

Dear Lord we pray today that we would not practice our mistakes. Help us do the very best in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.