Once again, I have gotten myself into a pickle in the name
of goodwill. An acquaintance from the singles ministry got kicked out of school
and had to move out of her dorm. She was going to be moving to Douglas (45
minutes away) but working here in Casper
It was nice the first couple days, but then it began to dawn
on me that instead of this girl staying one or two nights a week she had moved
in completely. Every day my living-room looked like a cyclone had hit and every
day she brought in a new box of her stuff. When she finally was going to go to Douglas , I told her that she needed to take all her stuff
with her because I did not have the room to store it.
Then two awful things happened. The woman she was supposed
to move in with in Douglas changed her mind
and decided that she could not move in with her, and then this girl broke her
foot. So now I was officially stuck with her. At first I really felt bad that
she broke her foot and couldn’t drive or look for a job or another place to
live, but when I come home from a stressful day at work, I have to first pick
up the mess she has made before I could relax in my own house.
I realized that God really does have a sense of irony when
He deals with me. Summer is over and it will soon be winter and I have been
lamenting for months how I “hate coming home to an empty house.” Well, thank
you Lord! I now understand that there are WORSE THINGS than coming home to an
empty house.
Pray the Lord finds her an elsewhere to go so that I can
have my little sanctuary back. In the meantime – I wrestle daily with my desire
to scream at her to get the blankety blank out and my desire to seek the Lord
to see if it is His will that she be there for a season. Not to mention that I
feel like I just want to kick her out and leave the singles ministry altogether.
Not quite sure anymore why I am involved now that everything has turned to
crap. Before this happened I was hanging out with everyone, helping her move
and thinking – this is just like a family (all warm and cozy). Now I think –
yeah, this is just like a family – a dysfunctional one where once again I’m
deceived and used and kicking myself for having offered any help. You give an
inch and they take a mile. I told her she had one month (which was far more
than I wanted to; having been tricked the way I have), and there is still two
weeks left. I’m not sure I will make it because it really sucks having her
there.
I believe this is a test. One that I am flunking. Given to
hospitality anyone? Does that include a near-perfect stranger taking over your
house? Where does love fit in this – that is my daily battle.
Please pray for me.
Love in Christ
