As I was thinking about things that would be for this week's newsletter, I came across this short statement.
And God said:
"My name is not I Was."
"My name is not I Will Be."
"My name is I Am."
I liked it! It sums up a lot of Bible texts in a few short words. You don't have to struggle to memorize many Bible verses and remember them. Three short sentences says it all. God is the one and only I AM. And He is present in every moment of our days, our lives. With Him, we will have no regrets!
There exists something I had no idea that it was a "something." It is called the Library of Mistakes. The Library of Mistakes is a free-to-use public library dedicated to the study of financial history, with an outreach and education program that includes courses, events, and podcasts. Amid today’s geopolitical and economic quarrels, their drive is to extend the understanding of this topic so that both professionals and the investing public can avoid the mistakes of the past. They have a selection of quirky curiosities and fine collection of books—all related to the ups and downs of financial markets and businesses throughout the years.
I would like to think that I never make even one mistake! But I know that isn't true. I make mistakes too many to number. I almost always regret them immediately. But my mistakes aren't found in the Library of Mistakes. It was founded in Edinburgh, Scotland and features a collection of more than 2,000 books that help educate the next generation of economists. It serves as a perfect example of how, according to the library's curators, "smart people keep doing stupid things." And the curators believe that the only way to build a strong economy is to learn from prior mistakes. I sometimes learn from my mistakes but often I seem to think that my mistakes were just a mistake and will never happen again. You would think that I would know by now, that if I can make a mistake once, there is a good chance I will do it again.
Paul wanted to remind the Corinthians that one way to avoid yielding to temptation and to have a strong spiritual life is to learn from the mistakes of God's people in the past. To make sure they wouldn't become overconfident with their spiritual privilege, the apostle used ancient Israel's failures as an example from which to gain wisdom. Those ancient Israelites participated in idolatry, sexual immorality, grumbled about the plans and purposes of God, and rebelled against His leaders.
When you take the time to read the first several books of the Bible, you can begin to see how often God had to renew His covenant with them as they fell away from their promise to do better time and time again. Paul used the historical "examples" from the Old Testament for the new believers in Jesus to help them avoid repeating Israel's mistakes.
Modern day people seem to have chosen not to learn lessons from past history. We now have rewritten history textbooks so that we don't have those past lessons to learn. And that is a problem! No past to learn from! So many mistakes will be repeated! Paul had some advice for the Corinthians on this subject: 1 Corinthians 10:1-11--For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things occur as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ..... “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry..... We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come”.
I was thinking about learning from mistakes earlier this past week. Something came to my mind that I am sure that I remembered hearing. It went something like--I should have, I could have, I would have. Wanting the exact quote, I decided to use Goggle! It was then that I learned that it is from a song by a famous artist! I had no clue it was a popular song! Nevertheless, those few words have some important lessons for us to learn.
There is a whole series of these phrases--I should've, I haven't, I could’ve, I might’ve, But would I? and then, Yes, I will!
I should—exercise twice a day, not procrastinate, get rid of things, read my Bible daily, resist temptation, done more research on large purchases.
I haven't—kept my New Year's Resolution, done the dishes every day, exercised 2 times a day, lost enough weight for hip surgery.
I could--do my exercises, get rid of more of my clutter, say thank you more often, read my Bible, start again on my resolution, resist the chocolate temptation.
I might--be able to lose some more weight and gain more muscle, think more positive thoughts, remember to water my house plants more,
But, would I--do any of the above and more?
Yes, I will! Do those things and more! I can and will because I have asked for help. I have allowed others to help me, I have relied on God to help me with my should'a, could'a, would'a. I want to live so that there are no regrets, so that I don't have a reason to say I haven't, I might've. I want to always be able to tell God--Yes, I will!!
My husband often gets frustrated with me when I do something that he had said he would do or that he hadn't done—yet!
In reality, by doing what I should have waited for him to do, I was questioning his judgment—implying that my plan ought to have taken priority. Pride, much like poison ivy spray that gets absorbed by a deeply rooted evergreen so that it begins to die, overtakes my perspective. This haughty attitude results in actions as unattractive as the dying brown pine boughs and threatens to create distance between us. Yet I fail to learn this lesson time and time again.
As an isolated incident, a pride-filled squabble is unlikely to derail a relationship. However, a pattern of superiority and self-righteous pride could easily erode the most loving of marriages. Ecclesiastes 7:8 reminded me that I could choose my response to him and change the outcome of our disagreements. “The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.”
No matter how poorly a disagreement or difficult confrontation begins, our initial reaction does not have to determine the outcome. When conflict arises, so does the opportunity to seek more godly behavior through honest reflection, disciplined growth, and ongoing prayer. Asking God to reveal any pride or selfish intentions within us can change the course of interactions, resulting in more satisfying resolutions and intact relationships.
Thankfully, quieter, more gracious discussions can replace earlier, anger-fueled debates. Exchanging arrogant attitudes for humility allows me to both seek and offer forgiveness. I want to seek to guard my pride and to seek God’s guidance to transform difficult beginnings into peace-filled endings.
Lord, I often assume that my way is the best (or only) way. Help me adopt a new approach to conflict — one that recognizes my pride and reminds me that relationships matter more than my personal preferences. Prompt me to offer gracious, peaceful words as I interact with others, and give me courage to revisit all areas of conflict that would benefit from humble apologies.
God's Word for me to remember--
Proverbs 14:3, “A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them.” (NIV) Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (CSB)
Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Reflecting on what Paul said: People go through hard times. Life has a way of doing this to all of us. Paul (who wrote the verse) had been through lots of trouble: unjust persecution, famine, false arrest, shipwreck, threat of murder, and so much more. Yet, he remained confident in the truth that God’s love knows no end. There isn’t anything that we have done, should have done, or that’s been done to us that can keep God from loving us. His love is constant and unstoppable. Know that the Lord is with you today and loves you beyond measure!
