MILDRED’S MISTAKE

(A True Story)

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

Mildred loved wearing hats. She had few vices at her age of eighty‑two, but one of them was wearing beautiful hats. The only thing she liked better than wearing hats, was wearing hats to church. Tomorrow was Sunday and she needed to pick out a hat to wear. “It mustn’t be too gaudy.” she thought. She knew exactly the one she wanted.

 

Mildred went to her closet opened the door and gazed at the plethora of hats on display before her. There were large hats and small hats, black hats and white hats, hats with pins and hats with flowers. Over a hundred hats covered the walls and shelves of her closet. Way up at the top of her closet was the perfect hat for church tomorrow. It was tomato red with a bright gold band around it. Mildred stretched on her tiptoes and extended a bony finger attempting to retrieve her prized apparel. Unfortunately she was much too short for the task. “How had she gotten that hat up there in the first place?” she thought. “I guess I need a stool to get that beautiful hat down.”

 

Mildred went into the living room and found the small three‑legged stool her son had made for her. She sat it down in the entrance to the closet and climbed onto her wooden helper. She stretched again for the bright red head covering. She strained to lengthen her arm as far as it would go but only came within an inch of the hat. The wooden stool wobbled back and forth as she shifted her weight in attempts to capture the hat. Suddenly the stool flipped on its side and Mildred flew through the air onto the floor. Fortunately she landed on her well‑cushioned posterior.  “Ouch, that hurt!” shouted Mildred. She took inventory of her wounds but didn’t feel any broken bones but she very likely would bruise. God had taken care of her. “Praise God.” she thought. Slowly Mildred got to her feet and brushed off her dress. “I’ve gotta have that hat.”

 

Mildred reset the stool at the entrance to the closet and tested it for stability. She found a slight crack in the floor that could brace one of the stool’s legs that appeared to be a little shorter than the other two. “There, that seems secure,” whispered Mildred.

 

Mildred mounted her semi‑stable support and again stretched her frail elderly frame as long as was physically possible. Her finger touched the rim of the red hat. She stroked her tiny finger over and over on the edge of the hat. It moved ever‑so‑slightly each time closer to the edge of the closet shelf.

 

Suddenly Mildred heard a crack of wood breaking and watched as the room turned sideways. She attempted to gain her balance as she fell but unfortunately swung one leg under the other one as she fell. She hit the floor hard and heard another crack, but this one was not of wood but of bone. 

 

This pain was beyond an “ouch.” Mildred hesitantly glanced down at her legs and noticed one was bent in a direction that was not right. “I’ve gone and broken my leg!”

 

Mildred yelled for her grandson who was playing outside. “Johnny, call 911!”

 

“I’m coming grandma!” Johnny replied.

 

Mildred wore her gorgeous red hat that had tumbled to the floor with her, as she was transported to the hospital in the ambulance.

 

Mildred made a mistake that we often make. She failed to heed a warning in the form of a second chance. Possibly she should have gotten help in the first place to obtain the hat she wanted. It is obvious that she should have sought help rather than attempting her task a second time.

 

How often do we as Christians attempt things in life without seeking the Lord’s counsel? How often does God protect us from our foolishness, only to see us seek it again and risk further injury?

 

Psalms 111:10 tells us the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. The fear spoken of here is of a reverent type. It speaks of respecting our Heavenly Father. If we truly respect and fear our Lord, we should seek Him for advice on those tasks we undertake in life and the decisions we make. If we fail to ask God for counsel we really demonstrate our independence from Him. We ignore His rightful place in the activities of our lives.

 

Proverbs 1 states that a wise man listens. How often do we pray to God, but fail to listen for an answer. Sometimes we pray seeking a rubber stamp from God for our activities. Maybe we need to wait for an answer? Waiting can be hard, especially in today’s society. We’re a “get it done now,” “I want it now,” type of society. We’re not used to waiting for things. Proverbs 8 talks about waiting on God. It speaks of waiting at the “door of God” as if watching for Him to open the door to share His wise counsel with you. Its true Christians need to pray more, but we also need to learn how to patiently wait on God as well.

 

Waiting can be frustrating. Waiting makes us feel like nothing is happening. Things aren’t getting done. Movement isn’t taking place. Possibly that is best though. When we wait we learn patience. We reevaluate our motives. We begin to think of alternatives and options we never thought of when we started our spur of the moment decision process.

 

Wise counsel can also be obtained from our brothers and sisters in the Lord when we face difficult decisions. Proverbs 15:22 talks about how there is wisdom in the counsel of others. Often seeking counsel from fellow believers will give us a better perspective on decisions we must make. You can’t honestly live the Christian life as a hermit. You must seek the support and help of others in the faith to properly live as a child of God. Our Father in heaven knows that fellowship with other believers is critical to living a life that will glorify Him. Of course we need to be sure we seek the advice of those we respect and who have demonstrated wisdom in the past. We can always fin individuals who will tell us what we want to hear. We need honesty when we seek advice. 

 

Are you a Mildred? Do you find yourself rushing into decisions and activities without thinking about the guidance God might provide? A truly spontaneous mature Christian will know when to launch into battle and when to patiently wait for the right moment. Victory and success are the result of being led by the Spirit. The wisdom of the ages is found in our Lord’s Word and in His still small voice that can be heard by those who wait on His counsel.

 

Psalms 73:24

“You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.”

 

Psalms 27:14

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.”