In software development we often see "success" where failure would have been a better outcome. For instance a user interface that allows a person to save data in an inappropriate state may show "success" but in reality it's a total failure that will be realized later on. An inappropriate state may be a date in the past or credit card number is not valid or an address is not valid. Worse yet, without being alerted to the inappropriate state with instructions to correct it - a person may never understand what went wrong and never see true success.
Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? ...our prayer is that you may be fully restored... building you up, not for tearing you down. - 2 Cor 13:5-10
Examples of False Positives abound and keep people mediocre
- Golf: You hit the ball forward but the mechanics of a good swing results in a good hit every time ( a computer can hit a ball better than people to show this is true
). - Typing: You type pretty quick with "hunt and peck" but you'll never hit 80 words per minute that way.
- Software: Development team codes for the "happy path" might not realize that failure would be possible - so we don't code for it and don't test for it. (Mature software systems have thousands of tests to ensure integrity every step of the way)
So it is in life, we often see success where failure would have been better. Ask any older person for an example and they should be able to give you some juicy big ones. These examples start with "If I could do it over I would have..." and generally speaking the longer something goes on the more consequential it is and the harder it is to see past the "false positives" and make change happen. Speaking for myself, when I started a business that was immediately profitable - I would have hired Wells Fargo to handle my payroll and file my quarterly taxes, thereby avoiding gigantic fines from IRS. I had the "false positives" of having all the paper work done, an accountant and money in the bank but I was blind to the looming failure until a year later when an IRS agent came to visit. The smaller things in life also have "false positives" but eventually lead us into ruin, we see this in our health, relationships and work.
I would define "False Positives" in life as something that feels good momentarily but result in long lasting negatives
- Detrimental to our health
- Sitting around/doing nothing/procrastination. My friend has a saying "motion is lotion and rest is rust"
- Eating something that "tastes good" rather than eating what your body needs. A coach once said "listen to your body, thirst for water, hunger for protein"
- Detrimental to our relationships
- Telling someone "off" in the heat of moment, instead of waiting when we are more level headed
- Not sharing how you feel in order to "keep the peace", when inside you lack peace
- Detrimental to our work
- Showing up to a meeting without objectives, agenda or engaged participants
- Going to class, getting the diploma without actively learning
- "Completing a task" that doesn't satisfy the requirements
- Occupation/Job/Paycheck that lacks Vocation/Calling/Reward in itself
Often times we older people get stuck in our ways and just give up on moving into change because we keep receiving "false positives".
I call it "going through the motions"
God answers the challenges of life with one word: Grace
- Let God's love comfort you and guide you. Let his daily grace happen to you - a grace that will change you, shape you and lead you to a life that is eternally altered. - Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year
- Sufficient for us, God's power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9)
- Saves us, when accessed through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- For the humble who submit themselves to God (James 4:6-7)
- The reason we work hard (1 Cor 15:10)
- God's love in Jesus Christ (Romans 5:8)
- Available to everyone who trusts Jesus (Titus 2:11-14) our redeemer (Romans 3:24)
It is God's Grace that alerts us to these False Positives and gives the correct path
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
- He's looking to strongly support those whose heart is completely His (2 Chronicles 16:9)
- He sees all of us (Psalm 33:13) and knows our thoughts and desires (Psalm 139:4), he sees the evil and the good (Proverbs 15:3)
- He sees every path (Proverbs 5:21) and guides us
- He sees our iniquity [immoral, grossly unfair behavior, wickedness, sinfulness](Jeremiah 16:17)
- We have nowhere to hide from God (Jeremiah 23:24)
The Holy Scriptures are the word of God. When God sets it home by his Spirit, it convinces powerfully, converts powerfully, and comforts powerfully. It makes a soul that has long been proud, to be humble; and a perverse spirit, to be meek and obedient. Sinful habits, that are become as it were natural to the soul, and rooted deeply in it, are separated and cut off by this sword. It will discover to men their thoughts and purposes, the vileness of many, the bad principles they are moved by, the sinful ends they act to. The word will show the sinner all that is in his heart. - Matthew Henry Commentary (Hebrews 4:11-16)
It only takes a moment to reach God in prayer in Jesus' name.
