I am super competitive. Sometimes I can hold it in check, but other times, I just run with it. I once lost a game of Monopoly with my husband. I hated losing so much that we have never played that game again. Extreme, I know. That competitive streak extends to other facets of my life as well. I like to win AND I like to be right. Although I like to always be right, I have to admit that there are times when I'm not. I know. I know. It's shocking. I would also like to tell you that it's not that often, but that would be lying too. So there in lies the rub. No matter where I am in life, what I do, or what title I carry, there are times when I'm wrong. It's just a fact. It's really a non-negotiable. It's going to happen to all of us. The question that I have to answer is what I'm going to do when I'm wrong? Greg DePriest, my pastor, came up with this equation: E + R = O [Event + Response = Outcome] Just for the sake of it, we will call it an EVENT when I'm wrong. :-) It's my RESPONSE to that event that will determine the OUTCOME.
Too many times, I have seen people who would never admit that they're wrong. I have been that person so many times. You know the problem with that? It means that the outcome will never change. I have found that admitting I'm wrong is actually very freeing. It defuses the situation, and creates a margin for change. People naturally respond positively to that because there is hope that I won't make the same mistake again. Seth Godin says it this way: Two elements of successful leadership are a willingness to be wrong and an eagerness to admit it. I pray I can be the kind of person who always sees my own failings because I know everyone else does.
Humility and fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life. Proverbs 22:4
