About Mistakes

We may not like to admit it, but we will make mistakes. Being wrong sometimes is part of the human condition. Being new creatures in Christ does not free us from making mistakes, but it should give us a new way to approach them when they are made.

The first man in Scripture to make a mistake was Cain, and it happened before he murdered his brother. (Adam and Eve’s misstep was blatant, intentional disobedience; that’s different from a mistake.) Cain and Abel decided to give God offerings. Since Cain was a farmer, his offering was of the fruit of the ground. Abel was a shepherd, so he brought “of the firstborn of his flock.” When God saw the two offerings, we’re told, “…The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast” Genesis 4:4-5 (NIV).

Cain’s first response to his mistake was anger and dejection. I imagine he could have been feeling that he worked just as hard at farming as Abel did at shepherding, so his offering should have been accepted too. Perhaps he felt jealous at being outdone by his younger brother. Whatever he was thinking, God immediately gave him some instruction concerning how to handle his mistake. “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it’” Genesis 4:6-7 (NIV).

Notice several things about God’s response. First, there is no indication that God is angry at Cain. Mistakes are unintentional, yet they are still mistakes and need to be corrected so they won’t be repeated. Second, God points out that only doing right equals acceptance. There are no brownie points for good intentions. Third, allowing a mistake to stand uncorrected leaves an open door for sin to invade our lives and take us down. The mistake is not the problem; our response to correction could be. If we respond by correcting the mistake – doing right – we master the sin that is lurking (crouching) in the shadows ready to devour us. That sin will not win. If we refuse correction, the sin that “desires to have” us will take over and our corresponding actions will bear that out.

Cain refused to correct his mistake. Before God could give him any further instruction about why his offering was not accepted, he allowed sin to fly through the open door flung so by his anger and he murdered Abel.

The next time we make a mistake, let’s refuse to make excuses, heed God’s correction, adjust our attitude, and make the necessary changes. In so doing, we will overpower the sin that desires to overtake us.