I Got It Wrong

Yesterday I got it wrong. I said that Denis Law had died. Christine kindly pointed out my error.

A week ago the BBC news said: ’Law, 81, who says he has Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia…’

I was mildly amused to read Denis’ words: ‘I recognise how my brain is deteriorating and how my memory evades me when I don’t want it to…’

I don’t have dementia but my memory certainly evaded me yesterday! Sorry Denis. I got it wrong.

The old joke about what’s wrong with my brain… On the left side there’s nothing right and on the right side there’s nothing left…

Yesterday I had coffee with Ken. He was talking about his marriage, his wife, his divorce… ‘We both made mistakes… I made mistakes, I got it wrong.’

Last week I spoke with Katie who has had addiction problems. She identified the mistakes she had made, times when she had got it wrong and hurt herself and those around her.

We’re good at making excuses; we’re well practiced in blaming others; we’re excellent at spotting someone else’s mistake. It’s much harder to say: ‘I made a mistake’ or ‘I got it wrong’.

Jesus’ story of ‘The Prodigal Son’ is about a young man who left home hurting his family and thinking only of himself. In his self-centredness either he didn’t see the wrong he had done and the pain that he had caused, or he chose to ignore it.

Eventually his life fell apart. He came to his senses and returned home. It was only when he said, ‘I’ve got it wrong’, both to himself and his father, that he could put things right, and discover that his father still loved him

I need to continue to learn to face up to my mistakes. Saying ‘I’ve got it wrong’ may be difficult, but it’s the only way I can put them right. I then discover I have a Father who still loves me.