How to Bounce Back From Mistakes

Last week I made a mistake. It was a serious mistake that couldn’t be covered up, but not quite so bad of a mistake that there wasn’t a fix. In other words, I couldn’t make it so people wouldn’t see. I had to admit my mistake.

I’ve been noticing an unfortunate trend in my response to stress—especially the stress of making mistakes (i.e., being human)—I freak out. I anticipate disaster, devastation and doom (the “3D’s”). I’m working to change this and have progressed to the point that I can now see, as through binoculars, that God might be up to something.

My new perspective started about 12 years ago: I lost my temper at my family. Then, feeling truly awful, I crawled in the bath (the only place to be alone in a house with 4 small kids) and sobbed my heart out to God, asking forgiveness as the 3D waves hit me from every side. Then God spoke. He said simply “Do you think I didn’t plan for that outburst?”

I am not a rager—in fact, in moments of true anger, I tend to say those pieces of truth that people don’t like to hear, so we keep to ourselves. But I felt so bad for hurting the two people in my family, that it took God’s intervention for me to realize that He really is at work, even in our mistakes, errors and moments of extreme humanity.

When you are submitted to Him, bowed at the throne room of heaven, then even your mistakes are being used for His glory.

This means that instead of anticipating the 3D’s, we can truly take our humanity to God and anticipate new opportunities, fresh perspectives, and peace. Not to be too sci-fi, but this adds a Fourth Dimension: the spirit realm, which means our 3D’s can become Fourth Dimension (4D) encounters.

Do the 3D waves hit you from time to time? What do you do to see God’s perspective and anticipate 4D opportunities?

Kim Martinez is a regular contributor to Ministry Today magazine’s blog. She is a writer, speaker and ministry coach. You can hear more from her at deepimprints.com.