Last week I went to a leadership conference in Sioux Falls.
One of the speakers was Roddy Chong. He is a very talented violinist. He shared
a story of when he was growing up he would perform at different events. Every
now and then he would make a mistake. When he was young he would stop and start
the whole song again. When he was a little older and a little more talented he
would start again just before the place he made the mistake. It took him a
while to learn that most people watching never noticed the mistake. When he
learned this he said it was an epiphany. It was then he learned to play through
the mistake. Not to look back on the mistake at least in the middle of the
performance. Roddy Chong refused to be defined by his mistake.
So many people let mistakes rule their life. They let the
mistakes impact their decisions. They choose to avoid certain activities. They
write people off because of their mistakes. As a Pastor I have met many people
that say they could never step inside of a church because of their past. How I
respond to one person is how I respond to all people. You are not your mistake.
You are not defined by your worst act. We are not our mess. We all have
something better that God has planned for us. Unfortunately so many people are
allowing guilt to dictate what they do. This should not be so.
Throughout this month I have been encouraging Cause to
invade your life. Causes are important. Causes are something we stand up for,
fight for and maybe even willing to put our life on the line for. I have
addressed different causes like Celebrate Recovery, Slavery, the Food Pantry
and digging a well in Sierra Leone. Every one needs a cause. Some causes
involve taking a risk.
Last week I mentioned how you are the cause of Christ that
he was willing to risk and eventually give up his life for you. Through his
death on the cross and his resurrection a few days later he opened up the door
of grace for you and I. This door of grace allows us to leave our mistakes
behind us. The door offers forgiveness for us, and the freedom we need to move
forward and not to be held down by our past.
