Making The Most Of Our Mistakes

Making the Most of Our Mistakes

• It seems sometimes that we have so many opportunities to mess up in life –

• We do things we know we shouldn’t – and we make mistakes.

Translation Mistakes

• When industry tries to expand to other countries, there are plenty of opportunities for mistakes.

• When GM tried to introduce the Chevy Nova into South America, they neglected to notice that in Spanish “No va” means “No go.”

• Needless to say, sales were poor for a car that wouldn’t go.

• The National Dairy Association had great success in this country with their “Got Milk?” Campaign.

• But when they took this slogan into Mexico they were informed that their Spanish translation read, “Are you lactating?”

• When Coca-Cola was introduced in China, their attempts at finding a phonetic equivalent in the Chinese language resulted in a drink called “bite the wax tadpole.”

• Pepsi didn’t do too well either with their Chinese advertising.

• Their “Come alive with the Pepsi generation” slogan translated into

• “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave.”

The point is We All Make Mistakes

• Some of them are more public than others,

• But we’re in good company when we make mistakes.

• We may try to deny it.

• We may even call it something other than a mistake.

• If a driver makes a mistake, it’s an accident

• If a teacher makes a mistake, it’s a new theory

• If a barber makes a mistake, it’s a new hair style

But when we try to deny our mistakes, that is when the trouble really begins.

1 Corinthians 10:12 says,

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall.

• Often we think we stand – and that’s our first mistake.

• When we think we’re doing all right, we stop being cautious, and we start make mistakes.

In Psalm 30, David admitted:

6 When I was prosperous, I said,“Nothing can stop me now!”

• When things were going great,

• I thought I had it made.

• Nothing can touch me! I will never be moved!

But then in the next verse David admits the real truth:

7 Your favor, O LORD, made me as secure as a mountain.

Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered. (Psalm 30:7, )

We stand or fall by the grace of God.

• When we believe in ourselves and our prosperity, our abilities,

• When we think we stand, that is when we make the most mistakes, and fall hard.

• Peter is one of my favorite disciples.

• He was a guy that made mistakes – and Jesus still loved him.

• That’s an encouragement to me.

Get Behind Me Satan - Matthew 16:21-23

• When Jesus told his disciples that he was going to suffer in Jerusalem and be killed and then rise again,

• Peter says, "God forbid it, Lord! This will never happen to you!”

• Jesus reply is not too comforting in this instance.

• Now He says, "Get behind Me, Satan!

• You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

How would you like for your mistakes to be a stumbling block to Jesus?

Even the apostle Paul was a mistake maker.

In Romans 7:19, he tells us

19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

• We all struggle like that.

• Even when he knew what was good and right,

• Paul still made mistakes and choose to do the wrong things.

• His only salvation from such a dreadful cycle was Christ – and the same is true for us.

• So when we make mistakes, we need to understand that we are in good company

What we need to do Learn from our Mistakes

• If you’re a surgeon or a pilot, you might want to try not to make mistakes.

• But if what you do isn’t a matter of life and death – even if you think it is –

• We find that mistakes can be some of the most important things that can happen to us.

• Rather than fearing mistakes, we should try to learn from them.

• Because “Mistakes are the portals of discovery.”

• Post-it notes were invented by mistake.

• Teflon was a mistake.

• The discovery of America was a mistake.

Back in the 1970’s there was a car called the Gremlin.

• With a name like that, what can you expect?

• Even though it was a failure

• It was also the predecessor to the popular hatchback.

• So if you want to put a positive spin on it,