My wife read me this quote from a man named Barry LePatner…

Good judgment comes from bad experiences.  Bad experiences come from poor judgment.

The way we learn is by making mistakes.  That’s the reason older people have a lot of wisdom.  They’ve learned by their mistakes.  Younger people think they know it all and tend to run through life roughshod until about the age of 40.  Things start clicking in their brain that maybe they don’t know everything.  Some learn the lesson, some don’t.  Some are fast learners, some are slow and they have to go through the same hardships many times before they learn.

Note… If everyone is out of step but you, maybe YOU are the one that is out of step.  If you run into the same opposition and problems everywhere you go, maybe the problem is not other people, but YOU.  Hmmm…

There is a story about a young man in London who was a powerful preacher (Martin D. Lloyd Jones recounted it in a message).  As ministers were discussing his pulpit skills, one elderly minister said something to this effect, “I don’t think he has yet to be humbled.  Until that happens, I don’t think he’ll be of much use.”  The other ministers all knodded in agreement.

God doesn’t use anyone He doesn’t first break (Chuck Swindoll).

When I was 15… I knew everything.  But when I turned 25 I realized I was a fool at 15… but not now. When I turned 35 I realized I was a fool at 25… but now I was really mature.  When I turned 45 I realized how much of a fool I was when I was 35… but NOW I had a firm grasp on reality.  ((Pause for thought))  The point is… I think my wisdom and knowledge is increasing as I get older, but if the past is any indicator, at 55 I’ll realize how little I know even though I’ve grown in wisdom over the 4 decade time span!  Hmmm…

Conclusion: It is good to listen rather than talk.  It is good to sit at the feet of others who are wise and knowledgeable to learn from them.  It is best to be thought a fool than open the mouth and remove all doubt.

Good judgement and wisdom both are strengthened by experience… experience only comes from failures and mistakes.  Don’t shy from action and doing things, that is the only way you will mature.