If you've never seen the SNL commercial parody of "Bad Idea Jeans," it's okay. I'll give you the gist of it. A group of guys are sitting around getting ready to play basketball while wearing jeans and each is thinking of doing something that is a "bad idea". It ends with them playing against a bunch of enourmous african american guys for money (another "bad idea" when you're on a team with a bunch of older white guys).We've all had bad ideas. Most of us have jumped all the way in with one of our bad ideas.
Some of us are still experiencing the repercussions of our bad ideas. But I don't want to get discouraged by my own bad ideas. Yes, it would have been great not to have dropped my life savings on some swampland in Florida. Yes, it would have been great if I hadn't tried to dunk last week and fallen flat on my back. Yes, it would be awesome to get a "do-over" on that last job interview.
Some mistakes can hit more personally. A bad relationship we were banking on lasting forever, hurting some one we really care about, and (the ultimate) sin. I know that that has become a "four-letter word" today (yes I can count), but we've all done it. We've all not lived up to the standards God demands, heck, we've all not lived up to the standards we would want ourselves to live up to.
Television usually has some good shows on. But for every good show, there are hundreds of bad ones. Which means they rarely live up to their own standards let alone their viewers'. Of course you will always have that "great" show that no one watches (WHY DID WE LET ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT DIE!!!! <---- greatest show ever). We will always have those situations that we have to do the right thing instead of the popular thing. But usually we pick the wrong side.
The beauty of it all is that we can learn from our mistakes. There is always a lesson. Whether it's as simple as "Hey! No more shows like 'Homeboys in Outer Space'!" Or if it's a bit more subtle in how we deal with others.
It's tough to say. But God can turn the bad stuff to good. I don't want to use this as an excuse to do bad stuff or to allow bad stuff to enter my life, but I also have to be able to move forward from the bad stuff and closer to God.
Lots of mistakes in this life. We need to do everything we can to avoid them. I heavily rely on the counsel of others, especially those who have gone before me. They've made the mistakes, or they've seen the mistakes made before and have a unique insight into how to avoid them. 
Mistakes aren't the end of the world (just like they're not the end of television). They can be a HUGE roadblock on our journey, but there is always a way to overcome them, to learn from them, and to be closer to God after them. I do believe that wherever God wants to take us, we can get there without making any of these mistakes. In fact, that's the way He wants us to get there. But we are human and are going to screw up. We need to just remember that He has bright skies ahead.
"My Mother the Car" starred Jerry Van Dyke. He turned down the role of Gilligan on "Gilligan's Island" because he thought that show wouldn't last and instead, starred in (what's widely regarded as) the worst show of all time. But he eventually bounced back. Years later, he landed a role on "Coach", a very successful series. His character (the loveable Luther) was accepted into the hearts of the millions of people who loved the show. It just goes to show you that the worst thing in the world cannot keep us from the best thing in creation.
