Jesus the storyteller: Admit to your mistakes - 8 April 2024

Let’s be honest, it is not fun when you have made a mistake. I get hot flushes and palpitations of the heart, especially when I realise I might have made a mistake at work.

The parable of the prodigal son contains several lessons, but one of these lessons is to be able to admit your mistakes.

The youngest son of two, thought he knew better – he left and wasted all the money he got from his father. Of course, it was only when things got miserable that he realised that he made wrong choices and actually made an enormous mistake. He went back to his father. He admitted he was wrong and apologised.

It must have taken guts to go back and apologise. His father could so easily have turned him away, but he did not. He was so happy about his son’s return that he had a feast prepared for him. His father obviously still loved him just as much, despite his mistakes. He forgave him completely.

One of my best friends likes to say: “I will fall on my sword.” I usually have a good laugh because it sounds so dramatic. However, I have also learned from experience that this is often the best thing to do. If you have made a mistake, admit to it, apologise and make amends where you can. Often, acknowledging your mistakes is the one thing that makes the biggest difference. We are all human, we make mistakes and precisely because of that, many people are also much more forgiving than you might expect.

I wonder if this is precisely the one aspect that softened the heart of the father of the prodigal son? He could see his son knew what mistakes he had made and was truly sorry. What an example!

Prayer: Father, help me to admit when I have made a mistake, even when I feel ashamed about it. Forgive me for my mistakes and help me to correct them. Help me to also forgive other people who have made mistakes. Amen