Tag: mistakes

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Repetitious Folly

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As a dog returns to its vomit,
    so fools repeat their folly.  Proverbs 26:11

We’ve all heard the famous quote, “The definition of insanity is making the same mistake over and over and expecting a different result.”  It must have its roots in today’s graphic version of the illogical idea of continuing to beat your head against a wall (or beating a dead horse).  My version of this wisdom was telling my softball players that if you keep practicing something the wrong way, you’ll get really good at doing it the wrong way.

I have to think there’s so many versions of this admonition because we humans struggle with both breaking bad habits and the fear of the unknown.  You’ve probably heard the saying, “It’s better to live with the pain you know than the pain you don’t.”  If, as a Christian, this speaks to you let me put what you are doing into a faith perspective.  You aren’t trusting God to take care of you.  God doesn’t desire for you to live downtrodden and joyless.  It’s why there’s proverbs like this one.  It’s why Jesus came to us.  He came to shake us up from our repeated follies.  It was time to take a different approach to life.

Jesus told us to stop hating our enemies.  Stop being filled with vengeance.  Stop viewing others within a hierarchy.  Stop giving over our bodies and minds to immorality.  Stop hoarding our wealth.  Stop being afraid.  Stop returning to our own vomit.  And start living for His Kingdom.  Start looking towards the New Eden.

My friend, if you feel stuck ask yourself what do you keep doing over and over expecting a different outcome? Turn your issue over to God.  Listen to His answer which will come either through His Holy Word or through the most unexpected way.  And then take new action.  Start a new habit.  One that God will infuse with joy and goodness.  

God, you know my habitual ways.  You have a better plan for me.  I lift up my repeated sins to you.  Please show me a different path and guide me with your Spirit.  Amen 

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Mercy

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Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. Lamentations 3:22

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life.  Mistakes that have hurt my husband, my children, others I love, friends, strangers and even myself.  My sins pile up each day, the cessation of which I seem wholly unable to accomplish.  And I’m not alone.  

We are a fallen, sinful lot, us humans.  If we were to take a moment, right now, to think about last week, how many times did we tell a lie, no matter how small?  How many times did we demand to be first, rather than last?  How many times did we put our pride over another’s need?  How many days have gone by that you haven’t forgiven your mother, sister, friend or even that stranger who cut you off on the road?

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Psalms 51:1

There have been a number of attempts over the years to try and convince society that original sin is just a myth.  That man is really a naturally good person.  In the 1800s a man by the name of Robert Owen decided “none are or can be bad by nature.”  So, he set out to create a utopian, socialist society in New Harmony, Indiana.  That experiment lasted just three years before it collapsed.  The reason?  Sin is not the result of some outward set of problems or circumstances that cause us to  “go bad.”  No, it’s because we are by nature sinful.  One only need to look at the answers to my questions at the beginning of this post!

Someone was talking to me about the concept of “being true to our authentic self.”  It was in reference to accepting immoral behavior as good and right.  But I have to tell you, my “authentic self” pops through quite enough already and gets me into plenty of trouble.  I’m just incredibly thankful that at the end of each day as I lay my head down to sleep, I can ask for mercy and forgiveness.  And it is given freely.