“Can I not do with you as this potter does?” declares the LORD. (Jer. 18:6)
WHILE I WAS VISITING Port Huron, Michigan, where Thomas Edison lived as a young boy, someone shared the following story about him with me. Edison had just made a light bulb prototype. He carefully gave it to his helper with the instruction to carry it to the second floor, where they were going to test it. Nervously, the lad carried it up the set of stairs. Step by step he carefully climbed, not wanting to drop the valuable piece of work he held. However, as he was about to climb the last step, he tripped and dropped the bulb. The sound of breaking glass filled the ears of those who had worked so hard making it.
Edison did not yell or throw a tantrum of anger. He did not berate his helper for being clumsy and then fire him. Instead, he gathered his team of twenty-four men and proceeded to make another bulb. After many hours of work, the job was completed. When it came time for this bulb to be carried upstairs, without hesitation, Edison went to his helper and gave him the task of doing so.
Years later Edison’s helper shared, “If Mr. Edison had not given me a second chance, I would not be where I am today. I learned that failure need not define who I am.”
Be willing to give others a second chance.
Jim “Umf” Lo is the coauthor of Unholiness: Overcoming the Forces That Attack Your Soul (WPH).
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