On Day 9 of the Five Minute Friday #10daywritingchallenge, the prompt was the word, mistake. I am just now writing about it. Everyone has made a mistake or two in their lifetime, right? Actually, we’ve all probably made tons of mistakes. No one is exempt, because no one is perfect.
I even make mistakes on my journal pages. The scribble might not look so good, but the message is still there.
In Yarn: Fun, Tangles and Lessons Learned, I wrote about finding a mistake in something I was crocheting. It also caused another problem, kind of like a snowball effect. But I also share some lessons learned.
I remember practicing the piano a lot when I was younger. Sometimes I made the same mistake over and over. It would cause such frustration, but I kept on until I got it. Though other times, if the piece seemed too difficult, I would put it away and go on to something else.
Parenting Mistakes
Many of us as parents make more mistakes than we’d like to admit. No one gives us a how-to manual for raising children. But children are also very forgiving and still love you anyway. I know we did not do everything right as parents, but we did learn some things along the way.
We did and still do try to show our kids unconditional love, even though we don’t do it perfectly. They all know that we love them and are here for them. And I hope that what we have learned has made us better grandparents.
Bookkeeping Woes
Sometimes as a bookkeeper I would find a mistake and have to go over it again and again to find and fix it. When you are working with numbers accuracy is very important. Balancing a checkbook can sometimes be difficult, too.
Mistakes Don’t Ruin Us
[bctt tweet=”We all make them, but how we handle mistakes can make a big difference.” username=”GaylWright”]
If we continually belittle ourselves, we begin to think we just aren’t good enough. But if we accept that we are only human and mistakes will happen, we can take each one and learn from it. Often, they prepare us for helping others who may run into the same kinds of problems.
Regardless of what I do or say or how many mistakes I make, I need to remember that I am a child of God. He loves me and will always be with me to give strength and help and offer forgiveness.
Psalm 73:26 (CSB)
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart,
my portion forever.
So I never need to worry about being good enough, because on my own I know I can’t. But with God I can work through the mistakes and go forward. With God, nothing is impossible. He is my strength.
Psalm 28:7 (CSB)
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
Therefore my heart celebrates,
and I give thanks to him with my song.
I’m linking up with: #InspireMeMonday, #Grace&Truth
Dear Gayl,
I love your beautiful photos and thoughts today! Yes, I pray also that the Lord will continue to redeem my mistakes as a parent, and help us going forward as Grandparents now too. Your photo with your young grandchildren is so precious. Truly, Jesus is our helper, even in these times of uncertainty and fear of making mistakes with how to function with this virus outbreak. I am so grateful He is with us! Blessings, hugs, and love across the miles! xoxo
Dear Bettie, thank you for always being encouraging to me. I’m glad you like the photo with the little darlings. Yes, we do not need to fear when we know God is in control. We need to spread love and kindness in every situation, even in the hard times. Blessings, love and hugs to you, dear Friend! xoxo
I tend to focus on the mistakes and what can be improved. But I need to learn from my mistakes and move on, and I need to let my loved ones learn from their mistakes, too.
It’s so easy to focus on the mistakes, isn’t it? With God’s help we can move on and even if we make the same mistake again, we can still keep going. Oh, it is hard sometimes to “let our loved ones learn” too. We just want to step in and help, but sometimes it’s better to let them figure it out. Thanks for visiting! Blessings to you, Lila!
Yes, I’ve made many parenting mistakes! Sometimes, looking back, the mistakes loom larger than all the good! But I do think one thing we did right is that our children know we love them no matter what.
The great thing is, the Lord loves His children, no matter what, too. I’m so grateful I became one of His children!
I know sometimes we major on the mistakes, but I remind myself that God is bigger than my mistakes. Yes, I’m so glad God loves us. Blessings to you, Jerralea!
Thank you for such important advice, Gayl. Sharing your mistakes in your journaling inspires me. I’m too prone to rip the page out if it’s not right… But what matters is the content. I love the caps you created for your grandkids. They look so proud. 🙂 Concerning my mistakes as a mom, my kids have been far more forgiving than I am towards myself. Thank you for this needed reminder – “Regardless of what I do or say or how many mistakes I make, I need to remember that I am a child of God. He loves me and will always be with me to give strength and help and offer forgiveness.” Love and blessings to you!
I’m glad I included that journaling mistake. I thought it might encourage someone else to not worry so much about the mistakes. 🙂 The kids did enjoy wearing their hats. 🙂 And yes, God will always be with us and love us. Amen. Blessings and love to you, too, dear Trudy! xoxo
Psalm 73:26 is one of my favorites, He is our portion…He is all we need, He gives us just enough. I love seeing your grandchildren and the hats you made them! Your journal page is a treasure to keep…it shows so much personality!
I love that scripture, too. Thanks, Nancy, for your encouraging comments! Every day I read from the Psalms and write down a verse or a few, then a haiku, then what I am thankful for. I look forward to it every day and it really keeps me going, reminding me that God is with me always. Blessings to you!
It’s so good to remember grace and u-turns. We’re all still learning.
Marvia, I think we will be learning all our lives. And yes – “remember grace and u-turns.” Blessings to you, dear sister! xoxo
I love this post because I make sooooo many mistakes every day due to cognitive and memory issues . It can really be a struggle to give myself Grace and forgiveness, especially when my lapses cause problems for people who rely on me. Your words are so encouraging, and you’ve included some of my favorite verses!
I’m so glad God always grants forgiveness and He understands our weaknesses. Yes, it’s so hard sometimes to give ourselves grace, but we need to remind ourselves that God has given us so much grace. I’m glad you were encouraged here. Thanks for visiting. Blessings to you, Valerie!