9/26/24- Messes to Clean Up

What happens when your plan is thrown off course, and you don't receive the outcome you desired?

We like to plan as humans. Especially in this day and age with more time on our hands with the aid of machinery. We no longer have to do so many choirs by hand; our clothes, our dishes, and even our meals, sometimes. Therefore, we are not as tired from laboring and can plan fun things to do with our time. However, the plans we make do not always go the course and can leave a trail of messes to clean up and a new outcome that we must either embrace or try to alter.

Yesterday I took on a project that I have had waiting for me for a week on my bathroom counter. The idea had been with me for months after my pant overalls got stained after the last wear. The stain would not come out in the wash. My plan was to dye this cotton outfit with navy blue dye that I had left over from another project.

The plan was to dye the outfit in my bathtub, so I added the soda ash, color enhancer, the dye and then my outfit to warm water. Then I made sure the material was evenly distributed, and I set an alarm for 1 hour. Feeling a little nervous about the strong blue color in my white tub, I wiped the blue droplets and splashes from any surface that was not under the colored wash of blue dye before I left it to soak.

After an hour, I returned to see that my outfit, originally neon orange, was not blue after all, but more of a purply brown color. After rinsing the dye and allowing the color wash to drain, I noticed that there was almost a tie dye effect with the emphasized color "blue" on my outfit that was not what I had envisioned. When I looked into my tub, it was also a blue tie dyed color. I reassurred myself that if it didn't come out at least it would look kind of cool, aside from the fact that it did not mesh with the rest of my house.

My outfit was moved to the washing machine via a garbage bag to eliminate the risk of a line of blue droplets following behind on the carpet. When I returned to address the tub, I first tried spraying the tub with a vingar spray and wiping it down. There was no visible improvement. My next thought was Soft Scrub, which I found under the bathroom sink. And it contained bleach, perfect. I squeezed out a substantial amount and spread it around the discolored surface and let it sit for about 15 minutes. When I returned, I didn't notice a reduction of the blue color. Now on my hands and knees, I began scrubbing around the edge, and I could see some improvement as the color started to fade and then disappear. The bottom on the tub however, was still a deep blue tie dye color. I reassurred myself again that at least the color is only visible in the bottom of the tub, and then I prayed that it would come out. The more I scrubbed, and the more I rinsed, and the more elbow grease I put into that stubborn blue stain, I slowly began to see it fade. I rinsed and repeated the surface with fresh Soft Scrub (letting it sit for another 15 minutes) and finally began to see the white surface which had been hidden underneath the blue begin to surface. The drain still had remnants of the blue dye and my eyes might have been deceiving me as the tub still appeared to have a blue tint, so the tub was sprayed with bleach and wiped down again. To anyone else, they would probably not see any blue remnants, but to me, I may always see a blue tinge in the bottom of the tub.

It's amazing how plans can completely reveal an outcome that was unexpected in our lives. This is why it's important to make sure that we have a back up plan. We need to be willing to address the mess that is left behind after a failed plan. It is not ok to leave this mess for others to attend or fix. Especially, when the plan involves other people's feelings. Often times when individuals are looking out simply for themselves, and dismissing the role God has in his or her life or how their actions could impact others, the mess left behind can be destructive.

There have been times in my life, when I was left facing the truth of my words and actions in a situation where I wasn't looking out for anyone but myself. I was seeking fun in the moment with no regard for the consequences that would follow. My words were not from a place of goodness, but a place of fun and folly.

We have all been warned to guard the tongue for it is the most lethal weapon. The tongue can leave a path that is irreparable. It is so important to remember before we speak or act that God commanded us “ to love one another.”

Choose your words wisely and be slow to speak and quick to listen. This will leave fewer painful messes to clean up. With the focus on loving others well, it takes the focus off self and brings us peace.

James 3:16

"For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there."