Mistakes are Part of the Process of Enlightenment... and a Gift from God

I went on a walk with my mum last night where she proceeded to tell me about a conversation she had with a good friend. She said her friend told her that she has started to pray every day for God to send her something so happy it will blow her mind. Her friend said the amazing thing is that God has been answering her prayers and sending her really happy experiences each day. I  liked the idea and decided I would start doing it. Today was my first day of giving it a try. I said the prayer on my way to work and didn't think too much about it. Later in the day I was driving to see a customer and my brain started to wander. I began to recall my time in undergrad when I was studying psychology. We learned a lot about cognitive dissonance. For those of you who haven't studied psychology and aren't familiar with the concept, I will share the definition below:

noun

PSYCHOLOGY

1. the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change.

To make it simple, cognitive dissonance is when we don't live in alignment with what we claim to believe. Our actions aren't consistent with the beliefs we hold about life, ourselves, and/or God. This inconsistency creates feelings of discomfort because we aren't making choices that match our beliefs. Most people try to get rid of this discomfort by justifying their actions...

"It was just once..." 

"Maybe it's not really that bad..."

"Do I really believe that?"

We don't like the discomfort, so we often try to do what we can to make it go away. We have two choices... we can change our actions or we can change our beliefs. Both options are difficult. The issue is we can't go back in time and change our actions, which means if we have done something that is contrary to our beliefs and it is not reversible, then this option is obsolete. That leaves the option to change our beliefs. However, our beliefs, to a very real extent, have become part of our identity. They have shaped who we are and how we see the world. Often we don't want to change our beliefs because we feel on a deep level that they are true. So, many people end up experiencing cognitive dissonance (discomfort) because they have made choices that don't properly reflect their beliefs and they struggle with making sense of it. 

I was thinking about this in the car and was trying to understand what it means. It hit me that this is why we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ... because of Him we can get rid of the cognitive dissonance without changing our beliefs. We can let go of the discomfort of our mistakes by realizing who He is and what He did for us. He made it possible for us to make mistakes, learn from them, and not permanently feel the discomfort from our actions falling short. I had this huge "Ah Ha" moment where I could see the practicality of the Atonement of Jesus Christ... where it wasn't just an abstract idea, but a very useful way to apply it. His Atonement leaves room for our growth. It allows for imperfection without the shame, guilt, and fear. It lets us learn through experience without having to constantly live in a state of discomfort. I don't think God wants us to feel bogged down by our mistakes or shortcomings, but rather to learn what we can from them and use our new knowledge to become better. It's a process of enlightenment that we each get to experience in our lives. Our mistakes are a gift, made possible because we have a Saviour. Isn't that amazing?! My mind was blown. My prayer was answered. 

We don't need to hold onto our regrets... the should haves or could have beens. We can let them go and know that where we are right now is exactly where we were always meant to be. We lived and we learned and we grew. There is beauty in that. There is beauty in who we have become, however the path looked that led us here. It's a gift from God to be able to mess up and gain wisdom in the process. Because of Christ we don't have to dwell on what we might have done or could have been had we made different choices. We can be grateful for the choices that led to us gaining the wisdom we now have. I believe this life is all about learning. 

Every time I learn something new I feel joy, especially when it is related to life and God. I knew this was that happy experience I prayed for earlier in the day. I'm amazed at how quickly God answered that prayer and how He gave me something big that He knew would bring me joy.

Let's just say I am going to keep praying for happy experiences that blow my mind. I love when God shares His wisdom with me!