Mistakes Happen

Everyone makes mistakes. We all say something or do something that we know we shouldn’t. Other times, we know we should be doing something, but we fail to get it done. While we put forward the effort, we often fail.

Sometimes, those mistakes happen because we “jump the gun.” In other words, we get ahead of ourselves and don’t really think. We jump into something before thinking it through. Sorry, guys, but you know we are very bad about that.

But, just to make you feel a little better, I thought you might like to know that even large companies make mistakes. Yes, even big websites with hosts of editors sometimes jump the gun.

Proof? Last Saturday night, as the seconds were ticking away and it appeared as though UAB would upset #1 and unbeaten Memphis in men’s basketball, ESPN.com had to get their story ready. No problem there.

The problem came when they actually posted the story before the game ended:

…and then watched as Memphis came from behind for the victory to remain unbeaten. True, the story was only on the site for a very, very brief time (by some accounts, a matter of seconds), but it’s still funny.

It shows that, no matter who we are or what “checks” we have in place, we are going to make mistakes.

It also shows us that once we have made a mistake, we cannot fully take it back. ESPN quickly replaced the story with one showing that Memphis had, in fact, won the game, but the picture is out there. They cannot “live it down” that they made the mistake.

We often make much bigger mistakes than mis-reporting a basketball game. Let’s all learn to think before we act, so that we can avoid trying to cover up mistakes.

And this becomes even more important when we are thinking about sinful activities. Before doing something that you aren’t sure about, why not take just a moment and think it through:

• If I take this drink, it may make me cool for the moment, but what will I remember tomorrow? What will it do to my body?
• I can click on this site and look at those girls, but what is that doing to my mind?
• I can sleep with my boyfriend so he’ll “like me,” but what will he think of me a week from now? A year?
• I can change this one number on my tax returns and save my family a huge amount of money, but what is that doing to my integrity?
• I can go to Vegas or Tunica and play a few slot machines, but what could I be doing with that money to help the Lord’s cause; or my family’s future?
• I can look off the paper of that smart girl next to me to get an “A,” but what is that doing for my academic future and my work ethic?

You see, these decisions may not seem like that big of a deal, but, when thought out, they become very large decisions. And, once a decision is made, it is permanent. We cannot take it back.

Let’s be careful in our decision making.