As a writer, I sometimes find myself reading things before I post or publish them, over and over. I will read, line by line to ensure there are no mistakes and wrong place punctuations. Yet, sometimes once I release it for the world to see, I will spot a mistake. This doesn’t mean the work or the post is any less valuable but there are some things I miss and/or messed up. Why am I telling you this? Because no matter how many times you start over, try to be right, read over stuff or even think before you speak; there is a chance you will make a mistake. It happens and regardless of the safeguards set in place, mistakes can happen. For me, I can hire an editor but a mistake can happen. Why? Because there is nothing or nobody perfect but God. Due to this, you’ve got to stop beating yourself up over something that happened. Yes, it happened. Sure, you said you’d never go again. Okay, you called him/her and flesh took over. You drank more than you said you would. You hung out with old friends and did some things you hadn’t done in years. MISTAKES HAPPEN!
And when they happen, it doesn’t mean your effort was in vain; reality is, stuff just happens. However, my question to you is, what are you going to do about it? For me, I edit my body of work or my post and publish again. I get up, dust myself off and try again. I apologize and try again. I own up to my mistakes and try again. I ask God for forgiveness and I try again. I forgive myself and try again. What I don’t do, I don’t count my mistakes because that will drive you crazy. What I do, I try again. What about you? What will you do? You’ve made the mistake, now what? You have to start over again, will you? Understand this ma’am/sir, every mistake you make isn’t a sin. Sometimes you were just plain stubborn, hard head and stupid resulting in your actions costing more than it was worth. Will you forgive yourself? For the bible shares in James 3:2, “Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.” If it were that easy, we’d all be ‘greater than’ but because we’re aren’t, we have to deal with the ‘equal to’ that solves the matter at hand.
Lakisha, the Author 