You Are Not Your Mistakes
“Jesus stood up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.’”
— John 8:10–11
Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, we didn’t have cell phones, the internet, or email. If we wanted to talk to a friend, we had to call them from a home phone, find a pay phone, or show up at their house and knock.
When I started my first real job, I had to start using the internet and email; both of which were still new to me. Before spam and phishing attempts took over, we had something called chain emails. If you’ve never heard of them, look it up.
One day, while working, I received a chain email that said something like, “Forward this to everyone you know for good luck.” So what did I do? I forwarded it to everyone in my department. Oops.
Before I could even think about the good fortune supposedly headed my way, my inbox filled with “never send emails like this again” type replies. My heart sank. I felt embarrassed and ashamed.
Then my supervisor approached me. She kindly explained that forwarding emails like that was against company policy and that I shouldn’t do it again. She was so patient and gentle that I felt a wave of relief. I was still embarrassed, but I was starting to feel okay.
Her grace reminded me of how God responds when we mess up. He doesn’t shame us or throw our mistakes back in our faces. He lovingly corrects us and says, “Go and sin no more.”
No matter what you’ve done, friend, your mistake isn’t your identity, and it’s not the end of your story. Learn from it. Forgive yourself. Move forward, just like God already has.
Reflection: What is a mistake you’ve been holding onto? What can you do today to begin moving forward?
This was an entry from my devotional, Keep Going: 30 Devotionals That Encourage You To Keep Going Every Day
Life can be challenging at times, but there are still so many things to be joyful about. I’ve experienced some challenging and anxiety-ridden times in my life, but through it all, God has sustained me and given me the strength to keep going!
In this devotional, I share encouraging scriptures, relatable stories and experiences, and reflections that I pray will encourage you to persevere through life’s challenges, find joy in the everyday, and trust God through it all. Keep going, friend!
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