I arrived at the church campus awaiting the arrival of our youth group from a conference they attended in Asheville, North Carolina. When I walked into the lobby of our facility, Robbie came rushing in the door and was white as a sheet. Robbie is our Youth Pastor. It is impossible to miss Robbie since he towers at 6’6” in height. Robbie is a big man and a gentle giant of a man. As soon as I saw him, I knew something was wrong because he looked 5 feet tall.

“I forgot one, man,” Robbie said with his voice quivering. “Forgot what,” I said. “I forgot a kid.” Now with my voice quivering I said, “You forgot a kid, where?  ”In Asheville.” he said with sweat pouring. I really did not have to ask but I did anyway, “Who is it?” He told me and I was right in my assumption. Robbie told me that he had called the conference center in Asheville and the camp officials found him still sleeping. “I’m leaving now to go get him,” Robbie said with a weak voice. He looked like all of the blood had emptied from his head.

I walked outside and talked to the students mother who had arrived to pick up her son. We had a good talk and she was very understanding. I thanked her for being so nice about the matter and walked back inside.

Here is what happened. During the last service before departure, the student told Robbie that he was riding back home in the vehicle of one of our other chaperones. The problem was he forgot to tell the other chaperone that he was riding with him. When the vehicles loaded up and headed home, each of the chaperones thought he was with the other. All the while, the student was sleeping like a baby in the dorm room that he was not supposed to be in at that point.

After Robbie and I talked, he jumped into his SUV and headed for Asheville. I called him on his cell phone to try to encourage him a bit. I could tell when he left that he was devastated. “Hey dude,” I said, “It’s all good!” Robbie said, “I can’t believe I did that.” “Hey Robbie, just think about it, this is a good learning opportunity and because of what you are feeling right now, I guarantee you will never do it again,” I said trying to comfort him. I told Robbie that he was not the first to experience drama with this particular student. The year before, our group had been to Florida for a conference. While in Florida, they took our students to Disney. This same student shut down an entire ride when he jumped off the ride in the middle of it.

Robbie returned with the student, safe and sound. He said it actually ended up being a good time for some quality conversation. Robbie is still our Youth Pastor and is doing a great job. The group has grown by leaps and bounds, both numerically and spiritually. He has not left another student in North Carolina or any other State since then … to my knowledge. You might want to keep an eye out for his book, “I Left a Kid at Youth Camp,” coming soon … or not?

Making mistakes is a part of life. It is not making them that matters but how we choose to respond to them. At Harvest, we do not expect people to never fail or make mistakes. I have discovered that if you dare to do something with your life that matters, it will include mishaps and mess-ups. If you allow them to become learning opportunities, they can be a catalyst toward success. When you mess up, do not quit and do not get down on yourself. Learn from them and press forward. Experiences, both good and bad, can be some of our best teachers if we do the right thing with them.

Maybe you feel like you have blown it in some area of your life. It is not over yet. You can choose to quit and become a victim for life or you can choose to learn and move forward, becoming a victor. It is up to you and nobody can make that decision for you. I hope you choose to become a victor. Get out of the dirt, dust your pants off and get back at it! Robbie did!

Shared with permission and encouragement from Robbie.