His deployment lasted a year. That was an interesting year for both of them. Amazingly, they reunited at the end of that year and are very happily married today. An important communication lesson was learned. One misconstrued statement resulted in a year of hurt and frustration that could have been avoided.

As the student told the story, we all had a good chuckle, but part of me just could not laugh. See, I was being reminded of the times I unintentionally hurt someone with a careless word, an ill-timed comment, or an ambiguous statement that was easily misinterpreted. Since it was not intentional, I did not even know I had done it. I can think of a couple of situations when more than a year passed before I was made aware of the offense I had caused. I was devastated.

My mistakes of the past make me keenly aware of how I communicate in the present, but guess what. I still hurt people with my words on occasion. We will be offended and we will offend others. It is part of living. We are not perfect people, but we serve a perfect God. May He give each one of us the sensitivity and discernment to choose right words to say in every situation. On those occasions we fall short in this endeavor, may we be quick to ask forgiveness, and recognize we have taken one more step in God’s perfecting process that will never be finished this side of eternity. As Max Lucado says, God has forgiven you; you’d be wise to do the same.

What really made me laugh out loud was remembering the mailing scheme we tried. I now know it was a scheme because the stern letter we received from the U.S. Postal Service after our first mailing explained the illegalities of our new venture in very clear language. It also spelled out the fines and prison terms associated with our get rich quick scheme. After confessing all my sins and reminding God how little service this good church-going boy would be to him in prison, I found out it was a form letter sent to all gullible people who fell for this scheme. It worked. I am proud to say I have been crime free for decades now.

In retrospect, we should have done our homework, but we did not. The resulting ignorance earned us a warning. Had we thumbed our nose at that warning and continued doing what we were doing, the consequences of our actions would have been severe, and rightfully so. Have you received any warnings lately? Has God shown you, as only He can, the blind spots in your life that are taking you down a path of pain and suffering. If He has, you can use the excuse of ignorance only once.

I always look back on our home business debacle as a vivid reminder of God’s grace and mercy. If you have made a mistake, big or small, and God has been gracious to you, learn from the experience. Accept His forgiveness and purpose never to go there again. To repeat the mistake when you know better is no longer an act of ignorance but an act of sinful rebellion. There is no such thing as a business that makes you rich with no work, and there is no such thing as sin without consequences. Christ paid a high price for our sins and prepared a path of forgiveness, hope, and restoration that leads right to His feet. May we all go there often and not down the lonely and desolate path of rebellion.