Devotional: Successful Mistakes

Successful Mistakes

“For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.” Proverbs 24:16

An important football event happened in 1964 when Jim Marshall, a legendary defensive end for the Minnesota Vikings, ran the football the wrong way for a safety (two points for the other team). It has been voted by NFL Films as one of the worst follies in National Football League history.

The play began when Billy Kilmer, a San Francisco 49er, caught a pass but was hit and fumbled the ball. Just then, Marshall, who was trailing the play, came up, scooped the ball, and began running in the wrong direction. His teammates from the sideline were yelling, “You're going the wrong way,” but Marshall ran 66 yards to the wrong end zone. It was an opposing player who reached him first and patted him on the back, consoling the player as he began to realize what he had just done.

The players recall there was a buzzing in the stadium for the rest of the game that would not go away. It was the sound of people talking and laughing about the baffling play they had just seen. And when the game was over, Jim had to deal with the press, who began calling him “Wrong Way Marshall.” It was a devastating, very public failure.

In an interview with NFL Films, Marshall said, “It took a lot of guts” to go back out onto the field. “I had made the biggest mistake you can probably make.… If you make a mistake, you’ve got to make it right. I realized I had a choice. I could sit in my misery, or I could do something about it.” In the second half of the game, he forced a fumble that contributed to his team’s victory.

For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes (Proverbs 24:16).

Mistakes are going to happen. Take the pressure off. What matters is getting back up. This is called “learning.” This is called “growth.” This is called “life.” The alternative is having your life defined by one missed step. The Scriptures say the way of righteousness will be full of falls and failures, but the good stuff is found right after you get up. Therefore, as we navigate our lives through these uncertain times, mistakes will be made, but we continue to learn, rise again, and walk into a bold new future.

Moises Ruiz | Youth Pastor, Red Deer Seventh-day Adventist Church and Pastor at Epic Church