{"id":24006,"date":"2018-10-20T03:30:24","date_gmt":"2018-10-20T10:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=24006"},"modified":"2018-10-19T11:56:16","modified_gmt":"2018-10-19T18:56:16","slug":"october-20-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2018\/10\/20\/october-20-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"October 20, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cAnd above all things have fervent love for one another, for \u2018love will cover a multitude of sins.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/em>1 Peter 4:8<\/p>\n

Erasing Mistakes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When I was in elementary school, I always wanted one of those great big pink erasers\u2014the one bigger than a deck of cards. I wanted my schoolwork to be perfect. I disliked re-writing rough drafts, so I always thoroughly erased my mistakes and carefully rewrote my answers. This often left my homework with nearly transparent areas from worn-away paper that had been repeatedly erased. Still, there was something to be said for turning in impeccable work.<\/p>\n

If only we could erase our words after they are spoken! Maybe this is why I prefer writing to talking\u2014written words can be \u201ctaken back\u201d before they are made public, especially in this computer age.<\/p>\n

Mistakes are not usually the same thing as \u201csins,\u201d as used in today\u2019s verse. Actual sins are \u201ccovered\u201d by Jesus. But in love, we all have the chance to cover other people\u2019s mistakes. We do not need to talk about their errors. We do not need to bring it up in front of others. We do not need to find fault. Love covers it up.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve found that when I talk about the mistakes of others, it\u2019s my way of not-so-humbly putting myself above them. I\u2019m implying that I would never do what they did. I would never wear those clothes. I would never listen to that music. I would never been seen in that place\u2014as if I\u2019m above all that.<\/p>\n

To cover something is to hide\u00a0<\/em>it, veil\u00a0<\/em>it, overlook\u00a0<\/em>it, and even forgive\u00a0<\/em>it. It is to hinder the knowledge of a thing<\/em>. If someone makes a mistake, it is an act of love to keep others from knowing about it. This doesn\u2019t mean we are to lie\u2014it means we don\u2019t make it public.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m ashamed of how many times I have not covered the mistakes of others. I\u2019ve sometimes talked about them just to get others on my side, bolster my own emotions, make me look smarter or more spiritually mature than another. No, I didn\u2019t realize I was doing that, but I know it with hindsight. I may not learn from the mistakes of others, but I certainly do learn from my own. The Holy Spirit knows how to use our own faults as a schoolroom!<\/p>\n

1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us that \u201clove is kind.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>We all love those who are kind to us. If, when we leave this earth, someone memorializes us by saying, \u201cShe was kind to me,\u201d ours will have been a life well-lived.<\/p>\n

God \u201c<\/em>\u2026is\u00a0<\/em>gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm\u201d\u00a0<\/em>(Joel 2:13). Let us love like this!<\/p>\n

\u201cFather, You never point out our mistakes to others. May we be kind in that same way. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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