You’ve Made Mistakes, You’re Not One

You’ve made mistakes, we all have, but you are NOT a mistake. You’ve made multiple ones, but to put yourself down and say, “I am a mistake,” is not a fact. Your mistakes and your past don’t define you.

Don’t allow people to convince you that because you did something in your past that you’re a bad person and that you were never meant to be on this planet. Yes, people do awful things. We should all be given the chance to learn and grow from those things. Somewhere along the way, someone may have made you feel that you were unworthy because of the things you’ve done. I’m here to tell you, that’s a lie.

Yes, you’ve made a bad choice; I have too. But why would we let those bad choices define who we are? The best thing we can do after those decisions is let the past be the past and take the lessons you’ve learned from it. Take it and let it propel you into a better future. Admit the mistake. Accept it. Don’t let it cause you to believe that’s all you are! You’re more than your mistakes.

Keep pushing, keep learning, keep growing. I can tell you all day that you’re worth it, you’re worthy and you're worth giving your life a chance. If you don’t believe it for yourself, you won’t grow, my friend. Another thing, you don’t have to let what people have said about you, their opinions, stop you from seeing and being at your full potential.

You’re responsible for your own happiness, no one else. Happiness is a choice. It could be raining outside, and you could say, “I don’t like the rain.” You could allow it to make you miserable. You could also go outside and appreciate the pitter patter of the rainfall. It’s all about your perspective.

God gave me an analogy of driving in a car. You’re the driver. Occasionally, you have to look at the rearview mirror to check what’s behind you. But if you keep looking behind you, you’re going to miss everything that's in front of you. Behind you are all of the mistakes you’ve made; in front of you are all the beautiful opportunities ahead.

You know why people talk about you behind your back? It’s because they’re behind you for a reason. They see your potential; they see your light. They’re used to the person you used to be, and they want you to stay there. They want to say you’re a mistake; you’re an accident. They say this because someone in their past treated them that way and now, they want to bring you down too. The reason they want to bring you down is because they see that you’re higher than them.

I’m not saying you’re better than anyone else. We’re no better nor worse than anyone, we’re all the same. However, when you’re shining your light, your God glow, people see that and want to take you down. Your light disrupts their darkness.

The worst person that can bring you down is you. You have to believe the truth that you are all that and a bag of extra crispy potato chips! God said you’re made in his image (Genesis 1:27). You are already great because the greatest lives within you. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

In those moments when no one is clapping for you, clap for yourself. You’ve made mistakes but you’ve also made accomplishments.

Take a workout for example. If you take one step to moving your body, that is an accomplishment. If you change your eating habits, that’s an accomplishment too. At the end of the day, your persistence, consistency, and triumphs define you, not your mistakes.

The worst person to fight with is yourself. People will always have opinions, but what are you saying about yourself? I’ve recently started speaking to myself in the third person by saying positive things to myself in the mirror. “Toya, your hair is beautiful. Toya, you did your best today.” Try it. When you speak to yourself in the third person, it’s instantly uplifting. The more you do it, the better it feels.

Don’t believe the lies people have told you. We’ve all done wrong things in life. The important questions to ask yourself are these: What is this teaching you? Are you learning and growing from it? Are you becoming the better version of yourself? When you lie in bed at night, are you proud that you did the best you could, or are you beating yourself up?

As much as we love our significant others, our children, family and friends, one day they won’t be here. The only person that will be with you for an eternity is you. Why not make it a beautiful journey?

God said the second commandment is to love others as we love ourselves. (Mark 12:30-31) That means you have to be able to love yourself after God in order to pour it out onto others. The people who have told you not to love yourself are coming from a place of hurt and pain within themselves. The person that told you: you’re nothing, you won’t amount to anything, and you have nothing to offer. That’s an issue that has nothing to do with you.

Out of all creation, God says YOU were made in his image. There’s the sun, the oceans, the flowers, clouds, trees and animals. God said out of all of that you were made just like Him.

Know that you have a purpose. You’re here for a reason. There’s no one like you. You’re not a mistake. The past happened. Acknowledge it and move on knowing that you’re worthy of love. The lies that jealous, evil spirits have told you are not true. You don’t have to listen to them. Like a sponge, you can absorb the beautiful water of life that God gives you. You are worthy to go after and be everything God says you can be. You’re not stagnant. You have a Savior who was crucified and rose again. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, rise again! Live life more abundantly right now. God will withhold no good thing from you (Psalm 84:11).

Move past the mistakes and into your purpose. You’re not a mistake; you’re here because Jesus wanted you to be here, right now. You’re a masterpiece, handcrafted and uniquely made by God’s own hands (Ephesians 2:9-11).

MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR:

May this message remind you that your value, your worth, and your purpose doesn't diminish simply because you made a bad decision.