This post is a few days late. Labor Day weekend, blah blah blah, excuses. I don’t like excuses either, so let’s move on.

But actually, since today’s post deals with making mistakes, the idea of taking ownership of our actions and not making excuses is fairly appropriate. Have you ever coached an athlete who made a mistake? Dumb question. How do we handle the mistakes our athletes make? What’s the most productive way to deal with lapses in judgment and physical errors? From the Legacy Builders Sports Discipleship Series that we use with Coaches, I’ve learned this phrase when it comes to mistakes of most kinds…
Admit it.
Fix it.
Don’t repeat it.

We certainly want our players to avoid blaming others. We want them to correct the behavior. And we want them to learn from the error, making every effort to not do it again. As a Coach, we can demand perfection, but we certainly realize that 100% perfection is not an attainable goal. Our athletes can control their attitudes and effort. They can buy into our program, and give all they have. Coaches need not be satisfied with less than perfection, but they ought to be pleased with great attitudes, effort and buy-in, knowing that mistakes are part of the deal.

But what about us? When we make a mistake in our lives, when we sin, it’s all too easy to forget what we know about mistakes. It’s way too easy to roll around in guilt and shame; to condemn ourselves. The process of admit it, fix it, don’t repeat it seems like it doesn’t apply to our spiritual lives. We like to beat ourselves up, to listen to lies about how God could never be pleased with us. I have no problem admitting my mistakes (usually), but the fixing and not repeating can be tricky.

Recently, I heard a man speak about how he handles this process. He explained that when he stumbles, he shares the Gospel of Christ with himself. I could try to paraphrase his message, but I don’t want to risk losing the effect, so here’s a direct quote:

“Believe it or not, there are times when I blow it. And when I sin, it is very easy for my soul to wallow in guilt. And so in those moments, I have to say to myself, ‘Nathan, Jesus died for this. For this very thing that you did wrong. Or for this precise attitude that you’ve been struggling with. And therefore you are forgiven. You’re accepted. You’re loved. And when God looks at you He sees the righteousness of Jesus. You are not a failure. And what’s more, because of His grace, you don’t have to live like that. God is in the process of making you whole.’ And because I believe in the resurrection, I believe that one day I will finally be completely and utterly whole. And all the junk will be gone. I say to myself, ‘Nathan, you know this. You’ve experienced this. You’ve been given a taste of this. Find rest. Find joy.'”

The first time I heard those words, I felt like my eyes were opened. I was inspired. Sharing the Gospel with myself…I’ve never heard it put quite that way before. And while I know better than to think that making this practice a part of my life will be a magic bullet, I have no doubt that God has shown me a little bit more of who He is and how He sees me. He is taking me to a place I cannot reach on my own. He is coaching me. I pray He is coaching you.