"I believe that God, ever the patient gentleman, in His sovereign wisdom allows each of us to make certain mistakes so that He can teach us from them."
Exactly! I believe it pained Him to let me make my numerous bad judgement calls in my youth, just as it pains any parent to let their children make their own mistakes. The real joy is in watching them learn and grow. I'm sure I still make Him sad sometimes, but I pray that I make Him glad more often than not..