Fumbling and bumbling is probably an accurate description of the course of most of our lives. [It is an accurate description of mine—or at least of these first 90 years of it! But, I am making progress!]
Fumbling and bumbling is not necessarily bad!
After all, we learn by doing. You don’t learn how to keep your balance without falling down. You don’t learn how to do the right thing without doing the wrong thing—i.e., making mistakes.
If you think making a mistake is something bad or to be avoided at all cost, you’re making a mistake about the role of mistakes. Frequently, almost usually, we don’t learn the importance and value of the right thing—as well as how to do it—until we have experienced the wrong!
Think of a baby learning how to walk. It takes a lot of falling down to learn how to keep your balance, stand, and walk.
Think of using seasoning at a meal. A little, the right amount, enhances the taste of the food. But, too much can do just the opposite!
If you keep making the same mistake, again and again, you’re really not learning from your mistakes. At worst, you’re just becoming comfortable and used to them—so much so that after a while you begin to forget that they are mistakes in the first place!
It’s your prerogative to crawl forever, but you’re missing out on dancing, not to mention really easily getting around!
No one ever claims that it is a sin to crawl and not walk, but, oh, the so many mistakes and kinds of mistakes that get that label, that branding.
We learn by our mistakes—which, paradoxically, implies that we learn by our “sins,” our mistakes that are classified as against the will of God, as shameful, as deep personal failings, as evil!
“Sin” is a special category of mistake, and it usually implies a kind of habitual mistake, the kind that we make so often that we forget that our progress, our growth and development, our holiness are becoming impeded!
It’s better not to teach a little child to do the right thing by bawling out, rebuking, mocking, condemning, and punishing. The preferred methodology is to assist, reward, encourage, explain, and teach.
I think it’s safe to presume that God knows the most effective methods for helping us to grow and develop according to our built-in design.
Alas, unfortunately often some of our religious teachings, counsels, and judgements don’t quite live up to God’s standards and practice.
God’s way may seem baffling to us at times—e.g., telling a crucified, condemned criminal, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)
God’s approach to judgement seems to be learn by doing. God doesn’t condemn us for our every mistake, only for not learning from our mistakes and falling into the habit of repeating them.
Does this mean that anything goes? That we never take responsibility for our mistakes? That there’s no such thing as sin?
Of course not! But there’s a subtle difference between a mistake and a sin. The way God made us, we’re all fumblers and bumblers—we are all limited creatures only gradually learning from our mistakes.
God isn’t condemning us for our every mistake, for we can’t learn and grow without them. It’s who and what we are today that counts. We all regret our many yesterdays!
27 November 2022