As a young child, I recall my mother having a magnetized notepad that she kept on the refrigerator door with her running grocery and chore lists. Wanting to model her behavior, I decided to write on the refrigerator of my toy kitchen with a crayon. My mother passed my room, catching me in the act and scolding me for drawing on my kitchen, and then she instructed me to scrub it off as she gave me the cleaning materials. A few minutes later, peeking in to check my progress, she smiled as she overheard me repeating to myself, “I never do this again. I never do this again.”

Life offers a web of experiences where we can learn through the opportunities and change how we respond to future similar circumstances. It is not the concept of never doing an action again that molds us, but it is the wisdom we glean as we reflect on these thought-changing moments.

Lord, thank You for the delicacy of life and how it continuously unfolds before us. Guide us in utilizing all circumstances—big and small—as steps to blossom into our fullest potential and to draw closer to You. In Your name I pray, Amen.