Does God Forgive And Redeem The Mistakes We Make?

Few things are quite as funny as a good typo, that one misplaced letter that turns perfectly harmless sentences into unforgettable goof-ups. Take, for instance, the newspaper that featured a recipe for “honey mustard chicken diapers.” I’ve…changed…some of those diapers. I much prefer chicken dippers, though they’re nowhere near as funny.

One lady’s pill bottle had this written on it: “Take 1 capsule every 12 hours with wood.” Um…may I take it with food instead? Less splinters.This from a street sign: “Illegally parked cars will be fine.” So park wherever you want folks. In the middle of the road. On the sidewalk. On the top of the car beside you. You’ll be fine. From a yearbook: “Congrats to our home run hitler. Love Mom and Dad.” Uh…home run hitter? A U.S. presidential ad poster – I won’t tell you for which candidate – contained this slogan: “A Better Amercia.”

A large tattoo on a guy’s arm: “No Regerts.” Well, maybe he has just one. A sign posted by some warm cookies: “Try a tasty cookie, warmed in owen.” Who is Owen? Here are some mislabeled products: “Pukin scented candles.” I think that was to be pumpkin. “Chicken nutguts.” And “Chocolate covered marshmallow rabbi.”

A sign in front of a church read, “God does not make misteaks.” Well, we know what they meant. God is perfect in all of His ways. He has never made a single typo, or done anything by accident. You, my friend, are no mistake. And when you make a mistake, God can miraculously weave it into His good plan. Early in his career, keyboard player Herbie Hancock was invited to play in the quintet of music legend Miles Davis. During one performance, when Davis was near the high point of his solo, Hancock played the wrong chord. He was mortified, but Davis continued as if nothing had happened. “He played some notes that made my chord right,” Hancock smiled. He simply adjusted his plan and turned a potentially disastrous mistake into something beautiful.

We have a loving, heavenly Father who delights in doing the same thing: taking our goof-ups, our failures, and somehow using them to write a beautiful story of redemption. Romans 8:28 tells us that “God works all things together for the good of those who love Him.” Nothing is beyond His redemptive reach. May the typo always remind us that God makes no mistakes and redeems ours. Like the sign posted on a door, “If door doesn’t close properly, giggle the doorknob.”