Messing Up

Have you ever had one of those days where you felt like you really messed things up? Well, I will share with you, today was one of those days for me. To be totally honest, I “botched up” a couple of different things throughout my day today. They are certainly nothing I’m proud of, and they remind me how truly “human” I am!

One big thing was watching our daughter play in a volleyball tournament this morning, and getting a little overreactive. Her team is very talented and each girl on her team is a wonderful, caring young woman…including our daughter. Our team really could have won this tournament…with their talent, heart and attitude! But that wasn’t the case today. To preface this, I must tell you I tend to be very competitive. I played volleyball in high school, and all the other sports I could. I loved the thrill of playing sports. I loved to win…and truth be known, I still do.

In my mind I was encouraging our team, and especially my daughter, to “go up strong at the net” and “keep your head in the game!” At one point, after my so-called encouragement, my daughter looked at me across the court with tears in her eyes and mouthed to me, “Stop it!” I knew at that point I had crossed the line. I thought I was helping her with what I was yelling, and she thought I was yelling at her. She was right…I was wrong.

How terrible I felt…knowing I hurt her feelings in the middle of her game. She pulled herself together, they unfortunately lost the game, and guess who went over to her right afterwards with a heartfelt apology. I realized a little too late today that even though I know how excellent she can play, she was having an “off day.” (It might have had something to do with the fact she was up late last night having a friend overnight.) What if God yelled at me with so called “encouragement” like I yelled at my daughter? God has given me wonderful gifts, but when I have an “off day” and don’t use these gifts to my full potential, He certainly isn’t yelling at me to “keep my head in the game!” I really messed up today.

I want to encourage you today–when you mess up, which we all do, apologize where necessary, ask God to forgive you, make changes where needed, and go on in His grace. Do I still feel bad for what I did today? Absolutely! But next time, I won’t be yelling anything but true encouraging words to my daughter and to her team. Messing up and correcting our behavior really can help us live a life that honors God if we use these experiences in a positive way. May God bless you today as you focus on living a life that honors Him!