Why It Matters
Admitting your mistakes will make you a
more responsible and trustworthy person.
What Would You Do?
Imagine this scenario: While playing with
his friends, Tim throws a ball that crashes through a neighbor’s window.
If you were Tim, what would you do?
Stop and Think!
You Have Three Options:
A. Run.
B. Blame someone else.
C. Tell the neighbor what happened, and offer
to pay for the damages.
You could be tempted to select Option A. But
there are always good reasons for you to admit your mistakes—whether they
involve a broken window or anything else.
Three Reasons to Admit Your
Mistakes
1. It’s the right thing to do.
The Bible says: “We wish to conduct
ourselves honestly in all things.”—Hebrews 13:18.
2. People are more likely to forgive those
who admit their mistakes.
The Bible says: “The one covering over his
transgressions will not succeed, but whoever confesses and abandons them will
be shown mercy.”—Proverbs 28:13.
3. Most important, it pleases God.
The Bible says: “Jehovah detests a devious
person, but His close friendship is with the upright.”—Proverbs 3:32.
Karina, 20, tried to keep a speeding ticket
a secret from her dad. But she couldn’t keep it hidden forever. “About a year
later,” Karina says, “my dad noticed a speeding ticket under my name. I got
into so much trouble!”
Lesson learned? Karina says: “Keeping
mistakes a secret only makes things worse. You still pay for them later on!”
How to Learn From Your Mistakes
The Bible says: “We all make mistakes many
times.” (James 3:2, footnote) And as we have seen, it is a sign of humility and
maturity to admit your mistakes—and to do so right away.
The next step is to learn from your
mistakes. A girl named Vera says: “I try to view each mistake as a learning
experience and let it be a lesson that will help me to be a better person and
handle the situation differently the next time.” Let’s see how you can do that.
You borrow your father’s bike and damage it. What would
you do next?
• Say nothing and hope your dad doesn’t
notice.
• Tell your dad exactly what happened.
• Tell your dad what happened but blame
someone else.
You fail a test because you did not study for it. What
would you do next?
• Blame the test.
• Accept responsibility for your failing
grade.
• Claim that the teacher has something
against you.
Now look back at the preceding scenarios,
and try to imagine that you are (1) your dad and (2) your teacher.
What would your dad and your teacher think of you if you readily admitted your
mistakes? What would they think of you if you covered up your mistakes?
Now think about a mistake that you made
during the past year and answer the following questions.
What was the mistake? How did you handle that mistake?
• I covered it up.
• I blamed someone else for it.
• I readily admitted it.
If you didn’t admit your mistake, how did you feel
afterward?
• Great—I got away with it!
• Guilty—I should have told the truth.
How could you have handled the situation
better?
What did you learn from your mistake?
What Do You Think?
Why do some people hold back from admitting
their mistakes?
What will people think of you if you always
try to cover up your mistakes, but what will they think of you if you admit
your mistakes?—Luke 16:10.
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