Missteps

Do you believe you do this waaay too often? And are you correct in your assessment of you? Do you misstep ... a lot? More importantly - do you know why? You can't correct that which you don't know, so if you don't... you need to do what needs doing in order to be aware. It is also rather critical that you have a basis on which to judge if you're mis-stepping.

Missteps can be the result of a variety of reasons: you aren't paying attention so you don't have all the necessary information. Perhaps you are using the same words but with different meanings - so are you assuming or asking those questions that confirm your understanding. Maybe you really don't care what happens so your attitude is involved with your understanding. Maybe you don't understand your particular role. A great number of reasons and each misstep may be the result of a different reason. Now what?

Missteps can be sins... can be misunderstanding... can be rebellion... can be unintentional, and all layers these words encompass. However, we do need to know the 'why' of our misstep. The ramifications from our misstep can't be understated. There are always ramifications from any decision, but the crucial question is - when we see and understand we have misstep-ed, how quickly do we respond? There's no reason to compound the situation.

Change may seem to be the only answer to correcting missteps. Is it? Probably. but change what? It has to be more than only correcting the current situation. Our 'what' can only make sense in the context of our 'why'. Misstep is defined in terms of 'a wrong step'. It is. But what we do with our missteps is our responsibility, our decision.

There are a couple (of many) verses we can use, as guides, when we do misstep:

   Ephesians 5:15-17 "So be careful how you live. Live as men who are 
    wise and not foolish. Make the best use of your time. These are sinful 
    days. Do not be foolish. Understand what the Lord wants you to do."

   James 1:5-6 "But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, 
    who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously 
    to all. But when you pray, you must believe and not doubt at all. 
    Whoever doubts is like a wave in the sea that is driven and blown 
    about by the wind."

Merely ignoring missteps gets us nowhere and eventually may catch up with us - never positive.