When You Think You Have Made a Terrible Mistake

Almost twenty-one years ago,

a young lady who was a missionary in Ukraine made a terrible mistake.

At least that is what she was told.

A young man named Jonathan Lucas had written her a letter wishing to be friends, and she had written him back accepting his overture--and never received a response.

Now it was two months later and the lonely and anxious young lady decided that perhaps her letter had been lost in the Ukrainian mail system, so she wrote him again.

Another young man and another young lady let her know that she should have just waited. Perhaps a letter from the young man was just around the corner, and she would be soooo embarrassed that she had appeared to be chasing him! They knew this young lady only too well.

Of course, nobody knew exactly what had happened or why there was no reply from this young man from Colorado. 

And the young lady went out that night on the dark streets of Kiev, and she walked and walked in a great agony--because as usual she had just made another stupid, idiotic, horrible mistake.

She had just chased a poor, lonely young man from Colorado who had decided he did not want her after all. She had sent this second letter--which proved she had been boy crazy and a chaser and a total idiot.  And of course, Jonathan did not want her.  Something in her first letter had turned him off and she should never have taken the chance to send him another letter.

It was just another of all the series of horrible mistakes in her life.

 Unaware of it not being exactly kosher to be walking the streets of Kiev in the darkness, the young lady finally returned to her apartment and went to her writing desk, where she pulled out paper and pen. And she wrote, 

"Trust Me," said God.

"Yes, Lord," said I.

"I'll trust You with my heart.

Tis my reply."

"Trust Me for more," said God.

"Yes, Lord," I said.

"I trust You with my life. Not mine,

It's Yours instead."

 "Trust Me for more," said God.

I said in prayer,

"I'll come to You and trust You

With my care."

 "Trust Me for more," said God.

"But there's no more," said I,

"Besides my heart and life and cares."

Came gently His reply,

"Can You trust Me, child Mine own,

With your worst heartaches?

Can You trust Me with your own

Foolish mistakes?"

 "Can I trust You, O my God,

Even with such?

Is it not, O gracious God,

Asking too much?"

 "Too much?" God Himself bent down,

Whispered low this word:

"Can you ever trust too much?"

Was what I heard.

*********************

And the biggest mistake of my life turned out to have been the right thing to do.

Jonathan had never received my first letter. It had indeed been lost in the mail. He had indeed been just as lonely and anxious as I had been--and he was overjoyed when he received my second letter.

And so today as I was looking for another poem, this one again stood out to me. I have read it many times, when I am suffering over something that I think has been a mistake.

And I have remembered over and over, that sometimes what seems to have turned out to be a mistake

based on the opinions or reactions of others,

may not be at all a mistake in the sight of God and in the reality of truth.

It may, in fact, turn out to be the best thing you ever did.

Just because someone else scorns what you did or are doing,

just because they react badly to what you did or said,

doesn't necessarily mean it is a big, bad mistake as they would like you and others to believe.

God is the One Who knows hearts.

And He is the One we can trust with our most foolish "mistakes."