30 Days of Encouragement - Day 2

Yesterday and its mistakes are gone. Everything is new this day. By the grace of God, we have another opportunity to get it right.

Our lives, every moment, every hour, and every day on Earth are opportunities to learn. Opportunities to practice the things we believe, and opportunities to test the things we have learned. Each day brings the privilege of making a decision and drawing a conclusion about our lives and how we are going to approach life the next day. Today’s experiences help us choose tomorrow's direction and perspective

Our lives, every moment, every hour, and every day on Earth are opportunities to learn. Opportunities to practice the things we believe, and opportunities to test the things we have learned. Each day brings the privilege of making a decision and drawing a conclusion about our lives and how we are going to approach life the next day. Today’s experiences help us choose tomorrow's direction and perspective

Those of us who have or whoever has had the privilege of walking probably didn’t just get up and start walking. Some may have, but most of us did not. We honed the ability one stage at a time.

Some began by scooting across the room on their bottoms. Some began by dragging one leg or their entire lower body as they navigated the room. Still, others crawled, some forward and some backward. Whatever method worked for us as babies, we practiced and practiced and practiced until it was perfected. Once perfected, we go on our two feet and began our walking life.

Entering the walking life was not easy, some of us reverted to our previous method of mobility many, many times. But we eventually persevered. We all made mistakes, we all stumbled and we all fell a lot, but that is why God made us short as babies, He knew we would fall, and the closer you are to the ground the less the fall hurts.

Some mistakes, stumbles, and falls didn’t even faze us, we just got back up and kept it moving. But there were other mistakes, stumbles, and falls that caused us to belt out screams of pain and burst into uncontrollable tears. For most of us when the pain passed, we were ready to get down and try it again. But for others, a little reluctance overshadowed us. Still, in time, we were determined to practice until we could confidently do it. We were learning how to navigate our walking experience.

What made us determined to walk? What is it that drove us to practice? We were driven to practice because there was something we wanted to reach across the room; something shiny to discover. And, because whether we understood it or not, we knew that walking meant a sense of liberation, freedom. It is the joy, and excitement of independence gained through learning to walk that propelled us back to our feet to try again.

We practiced and practiced for days, and months. We didn’t stop until we got it right. We took the bumps and bruises and compared them to the freedom of being able to walk without assistance and decided in our baby brain that the ability to walk confidently far outweighed the temporary set-backs of the bumps and bruises that came from our many falls.

So it is with our adult lives. None of us just started living right. We practice living our lives just like we practiced walking. We tested the things we were taught, we tried the things we told were right, we developed confidence in the things we believe.

No one gets it right from the start. Like babies, we make mistakes and stumble at times, and at other times we fall. And like babies, some of those mistakes, stumbles, and falls do not faze us. But some other stumbles and falls are devastating causing us to belt out screams of pain. And which may set-us back a little way. That is how we learn.

What we may not realize is that as babies, we didn’t know if there would be someone nearby to pick us up after a mistake, stumble or fall. We just trusted that we would be alright and we were determined to keep on trying.

As adults, we should know that God is ALWAYS ready to pick us, to brush us off, to comfort us after the pain of a fall. As babies we didn’t always see our help, we just received it when it came. As adults, we don’t always see the hand of God, but we should always be ready to receive it when it comes.

So, if as babies, simply trust that they will be rescued and don’t let their mistakes, stumbles, and falls prevent them from getting back up, then we, who have an assurance of help should not allow a mistake, stumble or fall keep us from getting back up.

Today is another opportunity to live life right. Today is another opportunity to practice living according to what we believe. Let us be propelled by the joy of another day to get up and try again.

Yesterday's mistakes, yesterday’s stumbles, and yesterday’s falls are gone. There are no "do-overs". What happened yesterday can be forgiven, but cannot be undone.

Let us purpose to leave yesterday in the past, forgive ourselves for our mistakes, our stumbles and our falls, AND, forgive others for theirs.

We may not be able to do yesterday over but we can live today well! Let today be a good practice day. - Be Blessed [Lamentations 3:22-23]

It is because of the Lord's loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, Because His [tender] compassions never fail. They are new EVERY MORNING; Great and beyond measure is your faithfulness....