Why do we live with mistakes?
So many times I have bought things and then realized what a mistake it was… clothes that don’t fit, decorations that don’t work, organizational helps that don’t help at all. And they stay in the house for years. It’s hard to admit you wasted money, and so you try to make them work. That only adds to the burden of the initial mistake. Confess to yourself the mistake, then fix it. Get rid of it. You learn a lesson of what not to do in the future, and you may get the chance to exchange it for something that actually does work.
I had watched a YouTuber a year or so ago, show how to put a shower rod at the back of your shower-tub combo and use shower rings to hold plastic Dollar Tree baskets on it, providing a place to put your shampoo, razor, body washes … etc… off the floor or sides of your tub. I had hung other shower rings with hooks on the rod where wet bathing suits could be hung up after swimming. It worked amazingly well.
And… It looked like … well you know… you get the idea.
Now you might say, just close the shower curtain and you won’t see it. But in our family… there is a thing where they think someone may be hiding behind the curtain when they go to use the bathroom. So the curtain has to stay pulled open.
I don’t know about you, but when I was growing up, I never thought of the possibility that someone could be hiding behind the shower curtain when I went to the restroom. I guess times have changed.
You could find anything in the shower nowadays! Ha Ha.
Anyways, today I corrected the shower rod mistake and took the rod and baskets down. I cleaned out a cabinet right beside the tub so extra shampoo and body wash could be stored there, leaving very little clutter for the tub. I put the rod and baskets in my donation bin. I have some time to think about it, in case I decide I can use that rod or baskets somewhere else. I doubt that I will.
Some mistakes we make go on for years and years with us living with them and never correcting anything. It’s really a torment to live with each day, but we get used to the torment and just accept it.
I’m trying more and more to take a step back, evaluate the mistakes I’ve made, and ask if there is anything I can do to fix it. If there is, I will fix it… one mistake at a time.
What about you? Do you have mistakes that need to be corrected at your house?
“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Proverbs 28:13 (ESV)
Whenever I fix something like that that’s bothered me for awhile, the second I fix it, I think to myself “How silly that I lived with that for so long hating it and I fixed it in ten seconds.” I like your idea of assessing things sooner and seeing if there’s a fix you can do at the time. Would save a lot of headaches. 😉
I totally agree, Allison. I’ve felt really silly as I see what I’ve kept for years that me or no one else would ever use.
Jane,
Our biggest mistakes have been house purchases. Yes, you read that right. Back in those days, we didn’t think/know to pray for such a purchase. Now, we are far wiser. We pray about everything. Especially house purchases. That’s where we find ourselves in this moment. After 52 years of marriage, we pray we get this next (and hopefully final) move right.
Love the verse from Proverbs. So true!
Making sure you are purchasing the right house would be very hard. You have to get the right location, the house that fits your budget, and serves you and your family well. There is so much to consider and taking it to God is the only way to handle such a big decision for sure. With some life experience under my belt, I think if I were purchasing another house, I would find the church I feel God is calling me to, then locate close to it. Really good, Biblical churches are so hard to find nowadays.
Thanks for sharing, Jane. I’m grateful God helps me realize when it’s okay to change something around that isn’t working. I try not to condemn myself for not realizing it or taking action sooner. I’m a work in progress, and I’m grateful I can admit I’m human and I can change.
We are all certainly a work in progress aren’t we, Joni. I’m so glad God puts up with me:)