Blessed by Mistakes?

Yesterday morning was a comedy of errors. I spilled something on the stove and failed to see its baked remains.

I threw some of my husband’s clean clothes down the laundry chute because I thought they were dirty and I’d tossed out something from the mail that needed to be kept.

I wasn’t even in a hurry.

When I left the house for a bike ride, I kissed my husband good-bye and said, “At least my foibles are not fatal, they are just frustrating, to you!”

He smiled. 

I’m used to my nonfatal foibles and am grateful that my mistakes have never done any one any serious harm. 

My blunders keep me humble, but they also remind me that others make mistakes too.

How does living with each other’s harmless mistakes bless us?  

Neither my husband or I are perfect. I’ve already pointed out some of my bungles. My husband’s flubs are quieter, but they are still noticeable. 

In a relationship such as marriage, our botches can cause us to practice communicating with an attitude of gratitude instead of irritation. For instance, as my husband cleaned up the baked remains off the stove that I’d failed to see, I simply told him, “Thank you.”  When he comes home with pecans instead of almonds, sometimes the kindest thing is to let it go unmentioned.

Living with each other’s foul-ups, especially in a marriage relationship, is a practice in unlabored kindness toward each other. This graciousness is a blessing twice over: given by one, received by the other.

Pedaling away from the house that morning for a long bike ride, I had time to ponder. The blessings that come from our mistakes is the daily opportunity to extend grace to each other.

Why Bother? 

Why bother being blessed by mistakes? Mistakes can be a blessing when we learn to  hand each other grace — one foible, one thank-you, one let-it-go at a time.