From missteps to milestones: Conquering mistakes

In general, responses showed that while beginner students sought positive reinforcement, advanced students were more eager for critical feedback. Researchers have theorized a number of explanations for these results--beginner students are still determining if they enjoy learning French and if they want to continue studying, so they might crave praise as a way to stay motivated; on the other hand, the advanced students are already invested, so they may want to improve their skills as efficiently as possible.The process of gaining expertise also comes with its fair share of failure, so advanced students may have built a higher tolerance for making mistakes. But whether you're an expert or novice, it's usually much more straightforward to learn from your successes than your failures. For example, imagine getting your grade back on an exam. If you aced it, you could reasonably assume you made good choices around when, what, and how much to study; in cases like this, it's unclear exactly what went wrong, making it difficult to learn how to improve. Wanting to learn from our failures is completely natural--there's a lot to gain by being resilient and cultivating a growth mindset--but fixating on our failures can make it easy to forget all our successes. And building on what we're doing right can be more effective than focusing on what we did wrong. God sees you not through the lens of your mistakes, but through the lens of His grace. When He looks at you, He sees the finished work of Jesus Christ. Consider this: if they didn't create you, they can't define you. My creator is my mirror. I'm striving to stay as composed as possible. When God revealed to me that my maker is my mirror, I thought of Moses standing before the burning bush. God said, "I will use you. You're the one, despite your conflicted identity and numerous mistakes."

I wonder if you've ever felt like Moses, standing before something God is calling you to, a burning desire inside, but unable to place yourself, not fitting neatly into either category. You don't fully belong with the churchy crowd because they seem perfect and incredibly devout. They inscribe Bible verses on their kids' sandwiches and create scripture stencils for lunchboxes. Yet, you're not quite that churchy. On the other hand, you're not quite worldly enough either because the Spirit of God within you discourages sin, whispering that you are destined for something greater. You're kind of righteous but a little ratchet, a worshiper who's also worldly, and you fluctuate between worry and worship, organization and chaos, power and pettiness. You're a little bit of both.

Your self-concept is still evolving, and it matters a great deal who holds your mirror. If the wrong people reflect back at you, your self-image can become distorted, leading you to live in accordance with this distorted self-perception. Moses did this when he focused on what he lacked, emphasizing what wasn't there. God, in response, asked him, "Who made your mouth? Who made your brain?"

Consider this: what if the world is weird and we're the normal ones? Our imperfections and quirks are part of the divine design. When others see us, they often experience the same emotions we are displaying. This is due to mirror neurons in our brains, which make us feel what others feel when we watch them. Just like when you were singing, you unknowingly impacted someone in the audience, possibly fighting a battle and feeling defeated until they witnessed your worship, your victorious praise. You became their mirror, reflecting faith and victory, even when they couldn't see it for themselves.

So, when your mirror is held by those who focus on your mistakes, you remain on the outside of your promised land, even though you possess the strength to enter. Like the spies who returned with a report about the land of Canaan, you may be influenced by those who focus on the giants instead of God's promise. The report that emphasizes the giants can make you see yourself as a grasshopper, small and insignificant.

But remember, it's not about the size of God in your eyes; it's about how much you believe God is within you. The reflection in your mirror can determine your reality. The same situation can be seen in reverse: the giants are big, but God promised us the victory. Therefore, the size of the giants is evidence of the size of our God. The challenge you face is proof of your worth in God's kingdom, and the size of your giants reflects the size of your God.