Happy little accidents…
At least that’s what Bob Ross says. I like Bob’s way of thinking. In his light airy voice whispering, Happy little accidents not mistakes.
Life sure has a way of throwing these happy little accidents at us.
I’m guessing perspective can help you shift to move forward or boomerang you back, landing you right into a cave of despair.
These happy little accidents don’t seem to be too forgiving at least not to me.
Bob has a good life philosophy though.
Stepping Stones
If you consider every mistake as a stepping stone you will begin to see on the other side of that wall.
People don’t want to climb it. They just want the wall to disappear. If this were to happen you would learn nothing.
No way to learn without climbing up and over that obstacle. When you do this you can then see your mistakes as happy accidents.
One thing goes awry and we throw our hands up in defeat and despair.
No persevering. Not dig in harder. No grit. No, none of that. We then begin to assume the position of a beggar. A victim. We see the mistake as a life sentence instead of a learning lesson.
Lemons are given to people that make kool-aid. Exactly, you read that right. Kool-aid not lemonade. Kool-aid is made by people who take a mistake and turn it into a happy accident.
No grumbling about only having lemons to work with. They see it as an opportunity. This happy accident thing is working and it all came out of a mistake.
A problem encountered turns irritants into innovation. It turns the tide into the shore. It turns the rocks into sand.
The sand now begins to reflect this happy accident in art form. The sand starts to bring out the artist in the young and the old.
Castles are made. Sea creatures are formed. Imaginations begin to be released all because someone made a mistake that turned into a happy accident.
Colors on a canvas change when they are mixed together. What looks like a disaster about to happen turns into something beautiful.
When those happy moments are recorded, happy that is born out of despair starts appearing glorious.
Don’t Let Discouragement Win
Discouragement, even disillusionment tries to defeat you but dang it, they can’t. Happy accidents delivered me and they will deliver you too.
They delivered me from moments upon moments of mistakes. Truth be known, millions upon millions of my mistakes, but God.
Yes, but God.
Happy accidents are God’s way of saying, you learned from it, now lean in and carry on. This is not to minimize the pain we cause when we sin against others, these aren’t happy accidents.
They’re painful, painful reminders of the scars we’ve left on others because of our sin. But God is bigger and his grace goes further. He removes the sting of situations through forgiveness.
Mistakes began to be transformed. Why? Because only God can take the bad and make it good. Only God can lace love through loss. Show me someone who loves well and I will show you someone who lost something or someone.
A lost love is an island you can’t seem to get too on a boat. You must be placed on that island. You have to swim upstream without a mermaid tale.
As your swimming, you’re reminded that love is all around you, carrying you through the current of life. No mermaid tale necessary.
Just climb in. Step on the rock of that mistake and look in. Look far and hard. See yourself in the happy little accident. You can handle it because God already has. Stop. Just stop and look around.
Breathe in the beauty of that canvas God has painted. Nothing will be lost and just like you, it will be found. Life is what you make of it. You make it or it makes you. Your choice not God’s.
Happy accidents point you to God if you want to choose this. You can wallow in mistakes holding them like some kind of trophy or surrendering them for redemption.
Mistakes happen because we are human. Grace happens because God is good.