What Big Mistake Is Taunting You?
Have you ever made such a big mistake or huge mess that you didn’t think you’d ever recover?
Everywhere I speak, without fail, women ask me how to recover from their BIG mistake. You know the kind, right? The awful, embarrassing, shameful, foolish kind of mistake that taunts you endlessly. The kind that makes you blush, shake your head at the memory of it or hang your head in shame.The kind of mistake that won’t let you go and won’t stop reminding you that you should have known better or should have resisted or should have run away.
I will never forget where I was when the (bleep) hit the fan and I was caught in my sin.
I’d been widowed for several months. The casseroles and cards had dwindled to a stop. All the faith and adrenaline and strength that had carried me to that point ebbed away and I was feeling old and lonely and overwhelmed.
Everyone else still had their life, and I’m ashamed to say that even though I knew better, I backslid into old habits that made me feel alive.
I started flirting with a married man hired to do some work around my house. It was innocent. I just wanted to see if I still had what it took to capture a man’s attention. To pretend for a minute that my real life wasn’t my new life. To remember what it was like to be married and have a man of my own.
It started with playful flirtations and was escalating when one of my bestest friends stopped by and witnessed our banter.
To the day I die, I will remember exactly where I was standing when she confronted me.
“Robyn, If you were in a burning building, you’d want me to drag you out, right?”
“Of course!” I said.
“Well, I see what’s going on between you and that guy and you’re playing with fire. You have to put a stop to it now,” she said to me.
My face flushed with the heat of being caught. But just like that! (snap) it was over. I ran out of that burning building and sent him packing.
My friend didn’t judge me. She didn’t silently observe and then gossip about me. She didn’t put on a prayer chain. She loved me enough to call me out a the proverbial fire.
You can’t imagine how horrible I felt when I was caught. How ashamed. How stupid.
Or can you?
We all make mistakes. I’m so glad to have a friend who loves me enough to call me on them and a God who loves me enough to forgive me and give me a fresh start.
Just like the woman in the Bible (John 8) who was caught in the sin of adultery, I had to be reminded that though marred by sin, I am still a woman made in the image of God. I’m Forgiven. I’m Redeemed. I’m Loved. And you are, too.
It’s never too late for either of us to get a fresh start with Jesus.
If there’s a big mistake that taunts you, won’t you put it to rest today? Confess your sin, receive forgiveness, and hand it over to Jesus who already paid for it. Claim your fresh start now.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you seems too insignificant to express my gratefulness to you for bearing my sin on the cross at Calvary but it’s coupled with the sincerest of apologies. As I daily strive to live for you, forgive me when I falter, (1 John 1:9) lead me in paths of righteousness (Ps. 23:3) and restore me anew (2 Cor. 5:17). In Jesus Name. Amen.