Perhaps one of the more common truisms is that we must “learn from our mistakes.” Nothing could be a more important lesson. I live in snow country. Driving on icy roads over the years has given me ample opportunity to learn from mistakes; mistakes in speed and judgment. That is true in many areas of life. There are too many mistakes from which I have learned to recount them all- procrastinating tasks, attempting to recall obligations without writing things down, saying the wrong thing in certain situations and forgetting to preheat the over before popping the pizza in it. I would suppose there are thousands of mistakes from which I have learned a lesson not to repeat.
Mistakes are innocent enough. That is the nature of mistakes. We miss something along the way in performing them. However, sins are not. Don’t confuse the two. They are serious and generally willful. They break relationship and produce guilt. They lead to death. They should not be confused with mistakes. Sins contain things like inflated egos, lies, lusts and jealousies. In order to have peace and life, they must be dealt with- confessed, forgiven and removed. But make no mistake about it, we can learn from our sins just as we can from our mistakes though the two are miles apart.
What, might you ask, can we learn from sin- those black, willful disobedient transgressions? I contend that there is much we can learn.
First, we become cognizant of its horridness. That white lie turned out to be significantly darker than we had calculated. The pain of those bitter words stayed much longer than we thought they would. The seemingly small seed of anger became a tidal wave of internal fury as it was left unchecked and unconfessed. I truly think that those who refuse to learn from their sin, are destined to underestimate the terrible consequences of an unyielding heart and will be more likely to fall again and again with little hope for growth.
Second, we learn where the traps are. I believe James had that in mind (James 1:13-15) when he spoke about desires dragging us away with enticement which leads to sin. I believe Paul had that in mind when he said, “But, watch yourself” when helping others out of their sin (Galatians 6:1). Falling precipitously into a trap makes us back-up and take stock of how we arrived near the trap in the first place. And then, we are more likely to “stay out of those places.” Even if we lack the fortitude and will to resist Satan, we know what is going on and can call upon the power and grace of Christ to keep us from the dreaded snare.
Third, if we will be so bold as to call a sin “sin” instead of “mistake”, we become more and more clear to the distinction between the two. I am saddened by the number of people who regard an inappropriate sexual relationship with the same level of concern as forgetting to mail in the phone bill resulting in late charges. One is a moral breech and the other is a mental lapse. Trust me, there is a difference in reality and certainly in God’s eyes. That is likely why Peter wept bitterly when the rooster crowed after the third denial. That is likely why all four gospels tell that tragic story. Contrast that with the three gospels telling the story of a woman bleeding for 12 years who touched Jesus cloak (Matthew 9, Mark 5 and Luke 8) and Jesus asked “who touched me.” Only Luke’s story attributes Peter to being the one who said, “Master this whole crowd is pressing in against you.” It really didn’t warrant deep grief or bitter weeping from Peter to miss the point of what Jesus may have been driving at. Nor did it warrant the gospel writers giving deep detail. It was an honest wonderment even though it fell short of understanding that something unique happened. The point is that Peter stumbled around often. But, it was in certain circumstances where his willful sin emerged from failed faith, caving in to fear and/or seeking self advancement. Those are not honest mistakes. But, seditious sins.
I say that to say that Peter was never again found to be in denial of Christ. He learned from that sin. He learned a harsh lesson from a terrible sin and the grief associated with it. He said that we should “Always be prepared to give and answer for the hope we have” (1 Peter 3:15). He knew that there was a time when he was not prepared and it cost him dearly.
So, what sin has caught you? Do you know the difference between mistakes and sin in your life? Mistakes can be sometimes funny. Sin never is. Mistakes can be forgiven or overlooked without even asking for forgiveness. Sin cannot. Sin is terrible. We had better learn from our sin or we will be destined to repeat it and be numb to its effect. That is why daily seeking God’s review of our lives and exposure of our sin is an absolute necessity.