Do We Learn from our Mistakes?

When I was a young man working as a Material Manager/Purchasing Agent for a Furniture manufacturer I made a horrible blunder by forgetting to order some material for a job we were to run.  I just totally overlooked the job.  Hence I didn’t order any of the plywood for an order of 1,000 bunk beds that we were to produce.  I also was in charge of scheduling the plant and while updating the schedule I discovered my error.  Immediately I called the Vice-President of Manufacturing and told him that I had blown it.  He gave me instructions on reworking the schedule while he called the Plant Managers to inform them of our change in plans.

Later that day when he was at the plant were I was headquartered I again apologized for my mistake.  He looked me straight in the eye and said this (which I have never forgotten though that was approximately thirty eight years ago), “everyone makes mistakes, but it would be to your advantage not to make the same mistake twice”.

I’ve been reading through Kings and Chronicles that last few weeks and continue to see a recurring theme.  The children of Israel would be living in faithfulness to God and then slowly begin to drift into idolatry and all sorts of sinfulness.  God would give them the space to repent, but when they would not He would bring judgment upon them. 

Sometimes it would be through a famine (drought), a pestilence (disease), or maybe by the sword (an invading army).  God would bring them to their knees, they would repent, and God would deliver them.  His blessings would flow and everyone would be at peace for a time and then the cycle would start to repeat itself.  The Book of Judges is a continual saga of the same issue.

One thing I have tried to remember from the admonishment of our Vice-President that day is that if I had been a little more diligent to review my work I could have avoided the mistake that so embarrassed me, and cost my company a great deal of money.  From that point on I made very sure that I didn’t repeat that blunder.  Because of that I never had to face the result of making that mistake again and seeing how my boss would deal with me. 

I’ll never know how he would have handled that, but I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father forgives my sin the first, and second, and third, and fourth, and you get the picture, every time I cry out to Him for His forgiveness.  You see, the penalty was paid for my errors in life when God sent His Son to pay the price for my past sin.  And not only for my past sin, but every mistake I have made, and ever will make.  Not because of anything I have done, can do, or will do, but because of the Cross my sin is already paid for!  There are already covered by the blood of His Son.  Makes me mighty grateful, aren’t you thankful too?