She used the little broom and shovel from the fireplace set and her mop bucket to clean out the fireplace for her husband. She carefully cleaned all the ash, putting both coals and ash in the mop bucket. As she picked up the bucket by the handle to take the coals outside to the burner barrel, the bottom fell out. Her mop bucket was plastic, and the hot coals melted the bottom. The coals dropped on the new carpet, leaving a few burn marks.
When her husband got home that evening, she told him what she had done. He became as hot as the coals. He said things like, “how could you be so stupid.” Suddenly, he realized what a jerk he had been to get so upset and condescending toward his wife. His anger would be something she would remember for a long time.
Suddenly, as if God had gotten his attention, he heard, “Do not lose your home over a few burn spots in a carpet.” He had trivialized the good that his wife was doing for him. He vitalized and overreacted to a trivial mistake that could have happened to anyone. There are many trivial things in life. Those things will not matter for very long. The vital things, like a marriage, should last a lifetime.
Do not lose the vital because you overreacted to the trivial
Never React to a Mistake. Instead, Respond and Stay Positive