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 “Nova ” means “No go.”

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

• 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.”

• On New Year's Day in 1961 Deccan records decided to pass on signing the Beatles to a record contract stating that guitar groups were on their way out.

The point is We All Make Mistakes

• Some of them are more public than others,

• But one things for sure we’re in good company when we make mistakes.

• Now when it happens 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’s when the trouble begins.

1 Corinthians 10:12 says,

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

• When we think we’re doing all right, we stop being cautious,

• and when that happens we start to make mistakes.

In Psalm 30, David admitted:

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

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

Your favor, O Lord , made me as secure as a mountain.

Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.

The truth is we stand or fall by the grace of God.

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

• That’s when we make the most mistakes, and we fall hard.

• Peter is one of my favorite disciples.

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

• And That’s encouraging

But one time

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

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

• Jesus reply is anything but comforting

• He says, "Get behind Me, Satan!

• Jesus was correcting Peter because Peter

• Was Seeing things from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

How would you feel if your mistakes were a stumbling block for Jesus?

Even Paul made mistakes. 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,

• Paul knew the difference between right and wrong

• But he still made mistakes

• He still choose to do the wrong things.

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

But at the same time we need to Learn from our Mistakes

• Now 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

• Sometimes we see that mistakes can be a good thing

• 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?

• But even though it was a failure, it was the start of the modern day hatchback

Thomas Edison

• Thomas Edison is famous for his tolerance of mistakes.

• It took him 10,000 attempts to create the light bulb?

• Once a reporter asked him, “How many times are you going to fail at creating the light bulb?”

• Edison’s reply was, “Son, I haven’t failed!

• I’ve simply discovered another way not to invent the light bulb.”

Jesus Knows We’re Going to Fail:

• At the last supper, Jesus told Peter that Satan would “sift the disciples like wheat.”

• Peter’s response “I’m ready to go both to prison and to death!”

• Then Jesus informed him that, before the rooster crowed the next morning,