Could God Make Mistakes?

The comment caught me off guard.

Sometimes you go through the motions of daily life, and then something sticks out. This was one of those moments.

We were talking about how cynical this world can be, and it can even cause a person to doubt themselves sometimes. The author has a known lack of confidence, and even self-worth. (Orphans have that).

These kinds of topics are nothing really new.

But, then it came, out of nowhere. The comment (actually a question):

"Are you saying God made a mistake in creating you, or that he made a mistake in trying to redeem you?"

Wow.

Amazed

I wasn't talking about God at the time.

Then, a few things struck me.

One thing that struck me was what you do is about God. He created you. I never thought of it that way.

Then I got to thinking more (like I usually do).

This post looks at how value can be added to society by qualities or events that look negative at first glance.

Then another thing struck me:

Maybe your worth isn't based on worldly criteria, but on the criteria of what created you.

What does that mean? Here are some examples.

Like I said above, I lack self-confidence. Maybe God views that deficit as being less demanding, disruptive, etc.

I lack social skills. Maybe God views that as a path to seek him more in other ways. Single people have more time for that.

I lack every day, practical smarts. Maybe that is a way God me to ask other people questions and learn they have some good qualities.

These aren't the best examples, but they are to make a point.

The Cosmos As A Whole

This principle could extend beyond just the self, too.

For instance, maybe God puts difficult people in your path because they will tell you what you need to hear, without being polite - for your own good and improvement. (You might feel small at the time or lose confidence, but God is working to improve you).

Or - maybe God allows you to go through a bad experience with someone so you don't do the same thing to someone else.

Or - maybe God allows bad experiences to move you on to something better he had planned. (Like when you lose a job).

The point is your value, as you view it on earth, might be different than the value God places on things. What looks bad in things like these examples doesn't necessarily lessen your "worth."

(Have you ever thought about how many jobs are created because humans are flawed? e.g. police, fire, security, auditors, psychiatrists, attorneys, therapists, quality control, etc.? If people weren't flawed there would be a significant unemployment problem.)

As humans we tend to focus on the first part of that equation.

A light bulb went off: You can still have worth.

Maybe God views your value as your relation to the whole, which is much more than just your bad experience,

That, then, would mean God didn't make a mistake in what he did.

What Does Scripture Say?

You can look at Scripture to back this point up; the point of
"negative" things in the short term leading to positive things in the long term. (e.g. the Resurrection)

The Resurrection was no mistake. The crucifixion was a "bad experience", but it led to the salvation of all humankind.

Matthew 20:16 reads (about the Kingdom Of God),

"So the last shall be first, and the first last."

In other words there is more to life than our limited way of thinking on this earth. You could be the last one, and still have worth. (And be first in the end)

But, even from the worldly perspective this concept makes sense.

People were born with different abilities. This blog asserts that was for a reason - to share what God gave you with his other creation. And, it is common for a person to excel in one area, but have a deficit in another.

Those deficits aren't a mistake. Jesus said even the hairs on your head are numbered. (Matthew 10:30, Luke 12:7)

God knows, and it is no mistake.

Maybe the difficult person tells you what you need to hear, and the nice person helps inspire you to do it.

So, I was struck again.

Struck by the notion a person's deficits could be the exact things that lead to bringing worth to the whole.

Wow.

The difficult person or the losing of your job could lead to the things that somehow add value to your life in the long term. As humans we focus on the difficult person or or aptitude in why we lost the job.

God, though, might have a different way of looking at it.

Your worth, then, isn't why you lost the job; it is how you move on to fulfill God's plan.

No wonder God sent his Son to redeem you. He doesn't view the bad experiences like you do. Suffering is not just for the sake of suffering.

It is part of a larger plan. A plan we don't fully grasp. Isaiah 55:9 reads,

"So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts."

This author asserts the development of that plan is the meaning of life.

Things might look static - I was going through the motions of life when that comment came along.

But saying God made a mistake or God doesn't know something sounds presumptuous.

However - in a dynamic way - What if God allows evil to show you he can even guide you through a world full of evil to good in the end? Guiding you through a perfect world wouldn't say as much.

Evil experiences don't diminish your worth.

While humans sometimes waddle in self-pity in a complex world (and feel small), God might be thinking you are on just the path he made you for.

However static it seems, we are growing on the inside. We might not be fully aware of it, but it is amazing.

No, God doesn't make mistakes.

Please note: Not all deficits lead to good things in the end because of free will. However, got can make that work out, also, if you work with him.

Hopefully this post helped spur you to think about the larger meaning of life and your place in it.

I urge you to look beyond what you experience each day to something more.

If you want, please subscribe to the blog for more ways of looking at your life for enrichment.

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