Call IT What IT Is!

Psalm 39:4-5 says, "LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah"

I write this blog in the most humblest state. There is a song by Troy Sneed that says, Forget your yesterday and your mistakes. Press forward.. Move forward. Forget your yesterday. Learn from your mistakes. Press forward. Move forward. Call it whatever you want..."my bad", "Oops!" "Oh no", error, typo, etc. But don't say it's not yours. Own it. Admit it. Forgive it. Learn from it. What is IT? What do you call IT? IT is called a mistake. We say many times that we're human and everyone makes mistakes. Some people admit their mistakes while some blame others for their mistakes. Why blame someone or something for the choices or actions we made? Interestingly, I ask why do we feel the need to place blame, at all? Can you blame someone or something for your mistake? Of course, you can. "To thine own self be true." Right? If you lie to yourself, you lie to others. "The truth shall set you free." Truth is really for each of us within ourselves. If you lie to yourself, you eventually become some other. We all make mistakes, but don't live in the mistake. Our mistakes show us things about ourselves. Deep things about ourselves. Things in and of the heart and/or mind that are manifested in our actions, decisions, choices, thoughts, intentions, etc. Not all mistakes are mistakes. Now what do you think I am saying? Define the "mistake" or experience. What happens when you do something and later you find or feel that it may have been a mistake. Why did you conclude or determine the decision, action, choice, thought, or intention was/is a "mistake"? Perhaps because the end result or effect is not what you expected or predicted or planned to happen as a result of your action, decision, choice, thought, or intention. Just because things don't go the way you planned or thought or intended, or go your way, doesn't mean you made a "mistake". Perhaps you feel you know this already. Do you, really? We've all sinned, but not all make "mistakes". Mistakes are really misjudgments, misunderstandings, misinterpretation, mishap, blunders, misperceptions, inadequacies, faults, or even miscalculations. Many times we conclude that a mistake was made because of the unexpected outcome of our actions, decisions, choices, etc. So, it is not the "mistake" we must examine or learn from because it's too generalized, disguised, concealed, but it is specifically and clearly our actions, decisions, thoughts, or plans we must examine more closely. How many times have we acted or decided to do something and afterward realized because of the effect, said to ourselves, "Oh, wow, I didn't mean for that to happen." There is a profound quote which says in part, "...our actions run as causes and come back to us as effects." Cicely Tyson once said, "There is no such thing as a mistake" and I wholeheartedly agree. The term mistake has no foundation or essence and therefore no real meaning or truth in and of itself. Mistake stops us from looking at "what really happened?" Mistake does not identify the root cause of the effect or the antecedent, therefore, we cannot learn from the mistake. We can learn from our actions, thoughts, decisions, intentions and choices that caused the unwanted effect. Mistakes are evasive and dismissive of the action, thought, or decision. This doesn't mean there's no right or wrong, as God is our righteous and just judge. There's no way for human beings to factor in all of the intricacies and components involved with the effects of our actions, decisions, or choices. Learning from our actions, decisions, and choices involves CHANGE within our perceptions and understanding of ourselves in relation to the first and eternal cause...GOD. (Developing an understanding of who GOD IS). Isaiah 55: 7-9, "7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."