This blog post has been turned into a podcast which can be accessed here.
How many times have we said, “There’s nothing wrong with making a mistake.” Although this is true; the problem is when we falsely identify our habits as a mistake.
- A mistake is when you unintentionally say or do something that is wrong.
- A habit is when you repeatedly think and/or perform the same behavior and/or action whereby it becomes your way of life. In other words, this habit becomes a law that guides your life.
Let’s take some time to dig into the difference between a habit and a mistake. I had taken my focus off of God and His word and allowed my emotions to take the lead. My quest to fix my situation instead of going to God’s word first is why I made the majority of my mistakes.
I allowed my misguided thoughts to morph into a nasty habit of ungratefulness and impatience. It was literally affecting other aspects of my life. I started singling out many areas of my life that I felt like God had neglected in helping me. I chose to play the role of a victim. I truly believed that God wanted everyone but me to win at life.
“God why do I have to work with these people?
God, I wish I had enough money to travel like they do.
Why is my life so boring?
I was constantly comparing myself to other people because I felt like God had forgotten about me. My mistaken belief led me down a horrible path to dismiss the blessings that God had already given me.
Sadly, it wasn’t until God started taking away these blessings that I realized how much I had taken for granted in my life. Looking back on the situation I can see how hard God tried to get my attention. We can’t expect God to continue blessing us if He sees that we’re not going to appreciate it. If we’re honest about it, we would just trample on it like the swine in Matt 7:6. Sometimes, you really don’t know what you have until it’s gone.
The irony is when God starts to chasten us by taking away blessings we get further discouraged and upset with God. However, my habit of not working hard enough to identify my misconstrued thoughts are what helped me create a habit of ungratefulness and impatience in my life.
The good news is that you have the power to break this vicious cycle. You need to acknowledge your behavior, ask God for forgiveness and change your ways.
You can’t fix a problem if you’re not willing to admit that you have one. Regardless of how much it hurts, you have to address it head on because letting it linger only harms you.
Had I not corrected my misguided thinking I would have been setting myself up to make an even bigger mistake by going outside of God’s timing.
It’s important to apologize for your behavior because it demonstrates that you’re taking ownership of your actions. As much as you may want to skip over this step, you can’t if you’re truly sorry.
Apologizing is a very humbling experience and serves as a reminder that you’re not perfect. It’s your opportunity to demonstrate that you are remorseful for your behavior (1 John 1:9). Once you have done the first two steps, you need to demonstrate how serious you are about changing your life by withstanding any consequences that may come as a result of your behavior.
According to James 1:22 actions speak louder than words. Let’s say you stole my car. You can say you’re sorry all day long, but if you have made no effort to give me back my car then you’re not sorry. Your actions have to support and demonstrate your endeavor to change your way of life.
If you feel like your life is heading down the wrong path, take a moment to evaluate your decisions. You will be amazed at how quickly your life will improve the moment you’re able to decipher the difference between good and bad habits.
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