Reflections by Rev. Grant Dawson
Some thoughts on making mistakes
I have never known anyone who has begun the day by saying, “I think I will just go out there this morning and mess everything up today.”
And yet, all of us have, at one time or another, done exactly that. We have started by rushing into the kitchen and spilling our coffee. We have followed that up by spending far too long lost in TikTok and consequently have been late getting to work. We have spoken at a meeting, when every voice in our minds said, "Keep quiet.” And then we have immediately regretted our foolishness. We have missed the luncheon engagement we made last week by not looking at out calendar. We have blamed others for our mistakes and criticized those around us when they have failed.
So the question we have all asked ourselves has been, “Why did I do that? I knew that I should have slowed down. I was aware when the bus was leaving. I understood that I should have kept my eye on my calendar. I have expected others to be perfect when I know that I am not. So why do I make so many foolish errors?”
The problem is that we make being perfect our goal and then become frustrated when we do not achieve that. But God does not call us to be perfect, but rather to be forgiving and loving both to ourselves when we fail and those around us when they make mistakes. Here is where we find our sense of who we truly are. It is not in accomplishing everything we dream of or in doing everything exactly as it should be done, but rather in allowing the Spirit of forgiveness to heal us and the spirit of patience and love to guide us onward, ever doing out best, knowing the God uses us as we are and where we are to be agents of support and encouragement through all things.
Grant
A Prayer
Creating, forgiving and loving God. You give us life and challenges, and ask us to seek in the depths of our hearts and minds the wisdom to act and the courage to move through all things with gentleness and love as best we can. And in these actions we know your sustaining presence. And in this we discover abundant life. Thank you.
Amen.