Have you ever done something and realized (sometimes immediately) that you made the wrong decision? Most probably you have... I think it is part of being human.

Sometimes the bad decisions are obvious — glaring things that stand out for all to see. Sometimes, they are things of which only you are aware.

I started thinking about this when I read an article that told that bubble pack was originally marked as wall paper. I honestly can't see how they ever thought that would work, but then I'm looking at it from a background that says, "bubble pack is used to pack stuff."

As I do a quick review of my life, I can quickly find many things that I made the wrong decisions about. Now, I could dwell on those things and worry about them and let them control my life and make me miserable, but I'm not going to do that. I choose to focus on the good stuff.

I've known some folks in my life, who have done nothing but remember their wrong decisions. They worry about them to the point that they come to believe that they have no worth; no value even to God. How could God possibly forgive them if they can't forgive themselves?

If you are a fan of the Anne of Green Gables books and movies, you may remember one scene where Anne comments that "Everyday is brand new, free of mistakes." What a wonderful concept and one that is so true.

The old apostle John taught struggling followers of Jesus this important truth:

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness (1 John 1:8-9 NLT).

God's love that brings us forgiveness and cleansing when we get it wrong in life.
Honestly, this is one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible. We find hope for those times when we make the wrong decisions. We find promise that we can start over fresh with each new day. What does it take? Admitting we messed up and believing that God will do what he says: that the Father will both "forgive" and "cleanse" us.

It seems sometimes that I work overtime at getting it wrong in my life — I think the wrong things, say the wrong things, and do the wrong things. Yet our God "is faithful and just to forgive us our sins."

You see, it's God's love that brings us forgiveness and cleansing when we get it wrong in life. Our responsibility is to admit our sins and accept that forgiveness, getting on with living for him.