“If this happens one more time, I think I’m going to lose it”. I was saying it out loud now and was beyond caring if anyone in the house heard me.

But it you were in that house, you would have had a hard time finding me.

I was inside a fireplace.

The appointment was supposed to be quick and easy. I squeezed it in between several others scheduled for the day but figured I could get it done with time to spare.

That was my first mistake.

I was dressed nicely for all the other potential customers I’d be meeting that day.

That was my second mistake.

We recently finished a job, and a piece of material had come loose. The customer described it to me from the phone that was still attached to his wall.

It was before smart phones, so no picture. No problem, right?

That was my third mistake.

Stuffed up inside that fireplace, every attempt I made to fix that little spot, failed. It was frustrating because it really was small and should be simple.

Each attempt I made to reach up into the chimney while sitting, then kneeling, then backwards in that fireplace ended up with wet cement landing on my shoulder.

Or head.

Or cheek.

Or in my lap.

Then I lost my patience.

That was another mistake.

I was sitting in a fireplace, hot, upset, and talking to brick, mortar, a small spot, and a trowel with cement – out loud. “Come on, I don’t have time for this!”

Who talks to inanimate objects anyway?

But now I was also talking to God.

Impolitely.

Out loud.

How many mistakes is that now?

And the more impatient I got, the more fun He had with me.

If you’ve ever seen a Laurel & Hardy show from decades past, picture him in a fireplace with that silly look on his face while a brick lands on his head.

Except at that moment, it didn’t feel funny to me.

I was fairly new to the faith and God had a lot to teach me. This time it was Heb. 10:36.

Those first six words felt like God put a mirror in front of me to show me how ridiculous I looked – and was. When I thought about it, I finally laughed at myself.

Thankfully, no one else came into the room during that whole ordeal. At least not that I know of!

God has a funny way of teaching us virtue doesn’t He (2 Pet 1:5-8)?

After all, it was just a simple task, why pray? Why plan? Why prepare? I’ll squeeze it in and expect God to make it all work.

And get upset when He doesn’t.

Well, that’s another mistake. God knows how much we “have need of patience”. I think He even has fun helping us learn from our mistakes.

So, here’s my question for you:

Where is God putting up the mirror to show that you have need of patience and what will you do before it becomes another mistake? If you’re willing, reply and share it with me. I’d love to hear your story. I read every response.

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