Own it and Keep Moving

Dear Friend,

The other day I was on the phone with my sister, and my two (2) year old niece had destroyed her room with cheerios. I mean they were everywhere, as soon as her mom walked in the room, she hid in the closet. She and I have a special relationship, so I talked her out the closet on FaceTime. I said to her, "Niece, I need you to come out that closet, sometimes, we make bad decisions. It's ok. The most important thing is that we own up to our bad decisions, and where we can clean up our mistakes!" She immediately came out the closet and started cleaning up her mess, sure she was sad and not happy with the decision, but she got back up!

For though a righteous man falls seven times, he will get up, but the wicked will stumble into ruin. Proverbs 24:16

Sometimes we are going to make bad decisions, we will. All sin and fall short of His glory (see Romans 3:23), sometimes we won't say the right things, or do the right things. Paul said it best when he said, I find myself doing things I don't want to do (see Romans 7:15). But we have to find the Grace, and own our mistakes. What I learned from my niece that day, was hiding from God is impossible. Just like her mother found her, God's sees us in our worst places. God knows our thoughts before we think them (see Psalms 139). It's what we do next that determines the outcome. If I receive His grace, I repent quickly and own my mistakes, and fix what I can. If I don't understand His grace, I lie or hide to cover it up, which allows the enemy victory in my situation. Think about Adam and Eve, when the hid from God (See Genesis 3:10) or David when he tried to hide the fact that he killed Uriah (2 Samuel 11:14-16). Hiding from God, didn't make the mistakes better, hiding from God puts distance between us and God. God is interested in reconciliation, not condemnation. Let's read Romans 8:1-8 together and then you finish this chapter out on your own time:

1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

My flesh tells me to hide from God, my spirit knows I need to repent, own my mistakes so that I can move forward. When I walk in the flesh, death comes to the situation, but when I walk in the spirit, life comes to the situation.

As my niece cleaned up, you can see the relief come to her in owning the mistakes, a few hours she was playing as if nothing happened, as if nothing was wrong. Why? Because she had received the Grace, by owning up to her mistakes.

There is Grace in owning our mistakes,

May Grace Abound,

LMJ

P.S. I read this online in an entrepreneur article.

Be accountable, it demonstrates you’re responsible.

Be honest, it shows you have integrity.

Be up front, it shows you’re relatable