The fact that we all make mistakes from time to time is one of those things that we don’t like to admit even to ourselves. Whether we like it or not though, it is a reality of life and we need to deal with these mistakes when they occur. Many times we don’t handle mistakes as we should. King Saul in 1 Samuel 15 is a good example of how mistakes should not be handled. Saul had been told to “utterly destroy” the Amalekites but he failed to do as God commanded. When it was pointed out that he had failed in his mission, he first claimed that he had done what he was supposed to do (verse 13). When it was again pointed out that he had not fulfilled his mission, he tried to pass the blame to someone else (verse 21). He then tried to claim that although he had not done what he was supposed to do he had a good reason for his failure. None of his excuses were accepted by God. When we make mistakes, we are often tempted to follow Saul’s example; we try to claim that we haven’t made the mistake, or that someone else is to blame, or that we had a good reason for what we did. God did not accept Saul’s excuses, He won’t accept our’s either. Mistakes are inevitable, try as we might we cannot avoid them. It’s what we do after the mistake that really counts. Rather than try to avoid responsibility for the error, we must be willing to confess it to ourselves, to others we may have wronged, and most importantly to God. If we fail to confess our mistakes to ourselves we cannot take any of the other steps needed to correct it! (1 John 1:8). Confessing to those we have wronged is part of asking them to forgive us (Luke 17:4). Confessing our sins to God is of paramount importance. Unless we are willing to acknowledge our wrongs before God we cannot hope to be cleansed of our sins (1 John 1:9). Everybody makes mistakes, they are inevitable. It is what we do after the mistake that really counts. “ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10).