Use Mistakes As Fuel

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” (John 21:15)
 
Every time I read the story of Peter denying Jesus, the one thing that always sticks out to me is that Peter’s story doesn’t end with his denial. Instead, Jesus gives Peter another chance, and Peter goes on to be used by God to be a witness for Jesus Christ and to be a leader in the church. This proves that our mistakes are not final. They do not have to be our demise, but they can fuel us and propel us into the next season.
 
This reminds me of a story I read one time about a young man named Darius Monroe. At the age of 16, Darius made a mistake. He was a straight A honors student. He was on the student council. He had an after-school job. But one day, Darius made a poor choice, which was totally out of character for him. He had noticed that his parents were having some financial troubles, and to help his parents out, he robbed a bank. He left a shoebox of cash on his parents’ bed, thinking everything would be alright from then on out, but that wasn’t the case.
 
Since bank robbery is a federal crime, Darius was tried as an adult and was sent to an adult prison. He served three years in Midway, Texas, but while he was there, he decided to make the most of his time while incarcerated. He earned his GED while in prison, and once he was released, he earned his B.A. in Communication and Media studies from the University of Houston. From there, he went on to study film at NYU’s film school and studied under Spike Lee. He even ended up making a documentary of his own story, documenting his journey back to Texas where he could apologize to all of the people who were hurt by his actions. He called the film The Evolution of a Criminal.
 
While society may have looked at his record and written him off, Darius knew that one poor choice, one criminal act, and one really bad mistake did not define him. He knew there was life on the other side of his mistakes. The same was true for Peter. And the same is true for you as well.  
 
One poor choice does not have to dictate the direction of the rest of your life. Allow yourself to learn and grow from your mistakes. Repent from your sin and ask the Lord to redeem your life as you continue to follow Him. He can use you despite your failures, just like He used Peter despite his.