Today was a good day with one really bad moment.
First the good news. One of my friends in the community had a shelf to give away. Being the first of many to respond, I was fortunate enough to get it. With my son J.T.’s help, we brought in the six’ tall x three’ wide shelf and carried it downstairs to the study – one part of the house that has had about 14 boxes just sitting in the middle of it for months. Seven of the boxes are neatly stacked against the wall behind the door and full of John’s work stuff; he will get to it when he can. But the rest were just waiting for that shelf before they could be emptied.
With the help of Brad and Jane, in a matter of one hour+ a few minutes, those boxes were dispensed with, emptied, and GONE! I did some minor rearranging of furniture, and Voilà! The study is now suitable for relaxing, reading, meeting with friends, and working on the computer. Also, there is a built-in table in a sheltered part of the back of the room, a perfect spot for wrapping Christmas gifts! What a good feeling!
Now the bad news. I did something today of which I am ashamed. I heard of a very difficult problem that someone was dealing with and made an assumption I understood the whole situation and was competent to remark on it. So I offered him my unsolicited opinion with a disparaging remark about the remedies that had previously been applied. In my arrogance, I was sure he would be grateful for my “input” and make the “necessary changes” in order to achieve success in solving the difficulty. Later, as I continued to think about it, it occurred to me that maybe I was off-base. When I went back and revisited the facts, I knew positively that I had misread the situation and had totally mispoken!
Oh, what horror and dismay I experienced then. I felt compelled to ask forgiveness, not only for arrogance, but especially for increasing the poor fellow’s pain and worry afflicting him like a gadfly instead of lifting his burden with encouragement and kindness. Or maybe even just keeping my mouth shut.
Why should I mention this? Because we don’t just share the good things and make it seem like everything is always coming up roses. Ought we not learn from our mistakes? Also, I think when I bring my failings into the light, it helps ensure that I will not forget that I need to work on changing them. With the help of a loving and merciful God.
May the name of the Lord be praised! ~ Job 1:21
Maria –
Thank you for sharing your mistake! I had an incident this week where I had been acting arrogantly (doing something behind the scenes to make a project better without asking permission), but then what I had done was publicly revealed, I mean, I had to own up to it in public, explain myself. I was so humiliated, ashamed…yet in the end grateful that it didn’t go undetected. It made for a very uncomfortable 48 hours, but I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on why I was wrong to try to get away with doing something that I thought no one would notice. It was just plain presumptive arrogance.
I think these kinds of lessons go hand and hand with growing older and sharing the wisdom of our experiences in life. They lend a perspective: all have sinned and fallen short. But they also remind us that we are only as helpful as our humility and respect for others allows.
Amen! And it’s a mistake we ALL make, maybe even more often than we realize but at least more often than we care to admit. Good for you for going back to him and talking it over right away. Thanks for sharing that, the good, the bad and the ugly! 🙂
And, enjoy that nice newly organized spot in your study.