Being a mistake and making a mistake

Our family has been working on our hearts and minds knowing the difference between making a mistake and being a mistake. The difference is huge!

Making a mistake makes me human, it is fixable or at least can be solved through problem solving. Apologies may need to be made, the fix may not be easy, but it is not debilitating.

Being a mistake is completely debilitating, it stops you in your tracks. The focus and energy is taken off of the project at hand. When I see myself as a mistake it also causes me to go into the mind set of having to fix whatever I broke. Everything becomes about fixing whatever is wrong with me. I forget to slow down, asking God and those around me for insight and help.

When we see ourselves as a mistake, we forget that others mess up, too. I forget that I am not the only human being who has ever messed up. How many times would I let someone off the hook for the very thing I am beating myself up for?

We have created a saying in our house that goes like this, “You made a mistake, you are NOT the mistake”. It is amazing how freeing this concept has been for our kids. Whether they are in the middle of a math assignment, cleaning the bathroom, working something out while playing with a friend or creating a art project.

Helping our kids own this mentality has helped them bounce back quicker. Otherwise they get bogged down in convincing themselves they are not the awful thing they hope they are not. They get frustrated as the Apostle Paul did as he exclaimed, “I do the things I do not want to do and do not do the things I want to do”. This sums up the whole human race.

We are learning to own the awesome, beloved children of God we are. We have worked on memorizing this Mercy Me song and engraining in our hearts its truth.

The truth of this song reminds us we are redeemed, we are beloved, holy, pure and loved. We are reminded “We make mistakes, we are not the mistake”. The difference is powerful!