Mistakes

I am constantly made aware of small ways in which followers of Christ are made ineffective. I see these things in myself, then I turn and see these things in the church in general. It's amazing how tiny things, especially words, can make us into worthless witnesses.

For example, take the word "mistake." I hear everyone from pastors to newborn Christians use the word mistake in place of sin, as if the two words are synonyms. The definitions of the two, however, are quite divergent (if you haven't noticed yet, I really like definitions lol). A sin is a "willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle or law." A mistake is "a misunderstanding or misconception."


To replace the word sin with mistake is to downgrade the magnitude of the action. A sin is to act against God that requires full acknowledgment and repentance from the sinner. On the other hand, a mistake seems to lessen the burden on the shoulders of the perpetrator. By saying we made a mistake, we merely say "oops, sorry God" rather than dropping to our knees and asking forgiveness when we know we do not deserve it.

The worst part about our easygoing approach to sin is the damage it does to our personal view of Jesus. It's so hard to appreciate a Savior if we downsize that from which He saved us. We make mountains into molehills. When He came to earth, He came to save us from mountains we could not move ourselves. Mountains that stand between us and God. Molehills never kept a traveler from a destination.

If we continue to talk about "mistakes" we made in the past, what kind of Savior do we present to the world? I'd rather present the true One, the One who died to save us from our sin, not from simple mistakes. In the process I must own up to my sins, but that is a small cost.