5 Mistakes Godly Dads Avoid or OvercomeSample

Mistake #3: Disqualifying yourself

One of the biggest failures created one of the biggest heroes in the Old Testament. I’m talking about King David. Specifically, his situation with Bathsheba. David slept with the woman who wasn’t his wife, had her husband killed, and then tried to cover it up. Psalm 51 was from a heart of failure. Before you look at the Psalm, let me tell you about my dream of being a baseball umpire.

The umpire’s job is to control the game. You’re the authority. The shortest game I ever umpired lasted about eight minutes. Basically, being the authority that I was, I canceled a game at the top of the first inning. In retrospect, I didn’t handle the situation well. That game is one of my greatest failures as an umpire. That day was a low point in my umpiring career. But, I didn’t give in.

After you fail, don’t disqualify yourself with your next move. When you fail, do you give up? After David failed, he pleaded with God in Psalm 51:7-12, “Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow…Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me...” David understood that only God could forgive and restore. His failure wouldn’t define him.

Over the last few days, have you messed up? You’re not alone and you have a choice: rely on God or rely on yourself? David depended on God and was restored. Be like David. Trust God when you fail. Unless you quit, you haven’t totally failed yet! God can bring good out of your worst failures. Address the wrongs you need to make right, and then get back in the game.