Introduction. While in school, some tests were so easy we quickly finished them with confidence. Yet it wasn’t uncommon to later learn we didn’t get a perfect score. We soon learned that this would move to every area of our life. We thought we did something right, only to find out later there was something we didn’t know or had overlooked. This is so common that we have proverbs like “everyone makes mistakes” when we want to comfort ourselves after doing something foolish. This has also led to proverbs like “a stitch in time saves nine” and “measure twice and cut once” to remind us that we must take extra time and make sure we look at everything to avoid problems.
Those who are wise grow more cautious as they make each new mistake. Learning from minor mistakes helps us avoid major ones. As we recognize that even our best efforts can sometimes fall short of our expectations, we learn humility. God summed up the full extent of our danger: “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Pr. 14:12). This verse sums up the deep concern of every parent as they guide their children through the dangers of life, and more importantly, God’s deep concern for us as His children. Multitudes of both children and adults die every day while doing something that seemed right.
Those who are wise grow more cautious as they make each new mistake. Learning from minor mistakes helps us avoid major ones. As we recognize that even our best efforts can sometimes fall short of our expectations, we learn humility. God summed up the full extent of our danger: “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Pr. 14:12). This verse sums up the deep concern of every parent as they guide their children through the dangers of life, and more importantly, God’s deep concern for us as His children. Multitudes of both children and adults die every day while doing something that seemed right.