I am also working at a new job. There are details and an overload of information and protocol to remember and abide by. And naturally, there are more mistakes made there.
Some days I come home and feel defeated. I often feel like I should make fewer mistakes then I do, and discouragement sets in. But I'm not allowed to stay there long. In those moments, when I am tempted to start finding my worth in what I do, that is when God steps in and reminds me that making mistakes produces character. Making mistakes teaches and shapes me. Making mistakes keeps me humble. And perhaps most importantly, making mistakes keeps me reliant upon Him.
A quote that has become a favorite, probably because it is so pertinent for me during this season of life is this--
"If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I am positive that a doer makes mistakes." -John Wooden
Its true, too. I think as a society at large we value doing things 'right.' We value performance and sometimes we begin to find our identity in what we do, rather than who and whose we are. That is a dangerous thing.
When I was a child I would often say whatever was on my mind, even if it was majorly un-tactful and cringe-worthy. I learned how to communicate tactfully by doing it wrong first.
I learned how to solve unexpected problems that arise with a calm demeanor, only after trying first to solve them with anxiety and a raised voice. I found out quickly that that only made the situation worse.
I learned how to pick my battles by choosing all the wrong ones initially.
As difficult and uncomfortable as the mistakes can be, I am convinced that they are necessary. They are necessary in order to teach, mold and shape. And, when its all said and done, we come out, hopefully, a little more like the One who created us.
So, in closing, I'll leave you with the brilliant, Thomas Edison, (who, by the way, tried a buzillion different ways to make a light bulb, before finding the one that worked):
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