Have you ever made a mistake? Have you ever made a choice that brought harm to yourself or another person? Do you have any regrets? If you are reading this post, chances are you answered yes to at least one of the aforementioned questions. Being honest requires us to admit that we all make poor choices at different points in our journeys. If you are still dealing with the circumstances related to your fault, please be encouraged by this post.
Life does not have to end at the point of your wrong turn. So, do not take to heart the insults from people who would like to shame you for your faults. Forgive yourself right now. Make an internal decision, a heart promise to yourself, to identify the origin of your fault. Did you make the wrong choice because of ignorance? Did you make your mistake in the pursuit of pleasure? Were you acting out of hurt, seeking vengeance?
Once the cause is identified, you have to examine the repercussions (thoroughly). If you ignore the results of the fault, you will continue to make the same bad choices. Allow the repercussions to be a part of your motivation to discontinue that fault. The other source of motivation to make better choices should be love for God, love for others, and love for yourself. In an aforementioned post, I said that it is impossible to love one whom you do not know. This includes yourself. When we really love ourselves, we are not willing to subject ourselves to harmful situations. When we love others, we are not willing to harm them. Love is a major factor in avoiding wrong choices. So choose to love and choose to put an end to the poor choice.
Sometimes, we turn our bad choices into a habit. Obviously, habits are difficult to break. I find that accountability partners are helpful in breaking bad habits. Before you go and choose your best friend as an accountability partner, read this post. You want to create an atmosphere of healing and not one of destruction. Confiding in the wrong person can lead you to make poorer choices. Be mindful that some habits are not broken easily. Fight for your best life. Do not give into defeat. If you make the same mistake again, don’t self-destruct as a result. Don’t become complacent either. Resolve to battle until you have obtained victory.
If you are reading this post and enjoy shaming others, you are struggling with a fault. You are living destructively by choosing to put down another person. Let us pray one for another. Let us encourage one another to do better. Let us quietly intercede for the people in our lives struggling with faults. Let us stop beating up ourselves for the habits that are difficult to break. Let us live each moment in full confidence that we can rise above our mistakes. Let us sow seeds of righteousness that result in a harvest of blessings for our communities. We do not have to live bound to our mistakes.