I once stayed in a
motel that had a very high star rating in the book published by the motel chain.
After I checked in, I realized I had made a huge mistake. The place was on a
bad side of town and was filthy. The room had an odor and a bug crawled on the
floor. Dirty towels were piled up hallway, which no one picked up for hours.
After my trip I
decided to write a nice letter the national hotel office and told them I had always
stayed in their motels because we trusted their star system. I requested they
lower their rating in their guide to a one-star on this particular motel to
honestly reflect its quality so other customers would know what to expect.
A few weeks later I received
a letter from the national office thanking me for my comments and offered me a
free night’s lodging—in the same motel! Did they read my letter? Were they
trying to reward me or punish me?
Some people keep repeating
the same mistakes because they haven’t learned from them. Proverbs 26:11 says, “Like a dog that
returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.” Even though the dog got
sick by whatever it ate, it goes back and recycles it. It’s even worse than the
original meal that made it sick!
We’ve all made
mistakes, but our worst mistakes can be
our best teachers if we will learn from them. Don’t keep beating yourself
up over the mistakes you’ve made, but learn from them. You can share your bad
experiences with others to keep them from making the same mistake—like “don’t
stay at that filthy motel.” www.kentcrockett.blogspot.com www.makinglifecount.net
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NOTE:
I’ve been sporadic lately about sending out these devotionals because I’ve been
busy writing a new book If God Knows My Needs, Why Should I Pray? It
will be published by Hendrickson Publishers in May 2016.
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NEW BIBLE
STUDY: “Why did the apostle Paul turn people over to Satan?”
Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068-0174
