“Master, did you not sow good seed your field? Where did the weeds come from?”

Matthew 13:27

The weeds among the wheat

By KATE WALSH SOUCHERAY – Gazette Columnist

Everyone makes mistakes. It would be comforting to think we would reach the age where we could count on that not happening to us anymore. Like acne when we were teen-agers. As we age, it becomes less common and it seems we outgrow it. Wouldn’t it be nice to outgrow making mistakes?

I walked with an older woman several years ago and I asked her what made her so wise, thinking she would reply that it was her amazing family, her faith tradition or her church community.

Instead, her response was, "Mistakes, Kate, lots of ’em." That was the last thing I expected her to say.

Were the weeds that grew in the field that day in Palestine like the mistakes we make in our lives? Were the good seeds like the helpful things we do each day, those choices that assist the world in being a better place for us and others? If so, what do we do about the poor choices and mistakes we make, as well?

Hopefully we learn from them. Hopefully we take something of value away from each mistake we make, rather than walking away from them and blaming other people for why our lives did not work out as we thought they would or should. Hopefully we become more mature with each mistake we make, rather than continuing on that path and litter our lives with choices that only open up other poor choices.

Choose to learn from the mistakes you make today and be like my friend that day who saw them as a means to becoming a wiser person.
