This morning after bathroom routines were finished, I went back in to clean up the damage. I found more than I expected. There was a puddle on the floor. I was about to yell at Adam for messing around in the water; my cleaning gloves were also inside out in the middle of the floor. As I bent over to pick them up, I noticed a steady dripping from the shut-off valve on the cold water pipe. I don't know what caused it to leak, but there it was and Adam was off the hook and out of trouble. I tightened it up a bit and it stopped leaking. I made a mental note to get a screwdriver and tighten the screw and also to tell Paul when he gets home so he can check and see if it needs more attention. Then I knelt down and mopped up the puddle.
It occurs to me that sometimes life is like that little leak. If I don't pay attention to the details, things can and will go wrong. If I hadn't gone back right away to straighten up the bathroom, there would have been some major damage to clean up. The steady dripping would have created a flood right into the living room and down into the basement as well. A small, unattended drip can become major damage with in a short period of time.
So I think that when I hurt someone else, or even just speak when I should have remained silent, I need to go and check quickly and clean up the mess I may have made. It might take a little bit of work and some checking back in once or twice, and I might have to get on my knees like I did this morning when I cleaned up the water, but if I have saved a relationship or repaired one, it is so worth it. And if I don't let it go too long, hopefully I will have avoided a major cleanup and repair, which can be so costly and sometimes unrepairable despite my best efforts. And unfortunately, starting over isn't always possible.
So I am checking back today....have I hurt or offended anyone? Have I hurt my relationship with the One who knows me best? And if I have I will do the best I can to repair the damage. Some time on my knees wouldn't be a bad thing either. :0}
It occurs to me that sometimes life is like that little leak. If I don't pay attention to the details, things can and will go wrong. If I hadn't gone back right away to straighten up the bathroom, there would have been some major damage to clean up. The steady dripping would have created a flood right into the living room and down into the basement as well. A small, unattended drip can become major damage with in a short period of time.
So I think that when I hurt someone else, or even just speak when I should have remained silent, I need to go and check quickly and clean up the mess I may have made. It might take a little bit of work and some checking back in once or twice, and I might have to get on my knees like I did this morning when I cleaned up the water, but if I have saved a relationship or repaired one, it is so worth it. And if I don't let it go too long, hopefully I will have avoided a major cleanup and repair, which can be so costly and sometimes unrepairable despite my best efforts. And unfortunately, starting over isn't always possible.
So I am checking back today....have I hurt or offended anyone? Have I hurt my relationship with the One who knows me best? And if I have I will do the best I can to repair the damage. Some time on my knees wouldn't be a bad thing either. :0}
