There is this particular homeless guy who asked me if he could store 'his stuff' for a day so that he can get some personal issues dealt with. I had told him, "Sure, you can leave your stuff here for a day." Okay, so that was 2 weeks ago. He has been spotted coming in after I have already left to change clothes but leave his stuff here at the church. I saw him briefly last Friday and said, "You have to take your stuff now," but it was raining real hard and he said, "Oh please, its raining real hard, may I leave it for one more day?" The good ol' boy that I am said, "Sure."
Okay, so now I have to tell him, "Take your stuff, it can't stay here any longer," and do it in the nicest Oklahoma-speak and yet mixed with a bit of redneck authority. He's a really nice guy who is just down on his luck (for the past 10 years, I need to add). I hate being too mean to guys like this particular homeless person, not because he is so unfortunate but because being a successful homeless person means that you are also very tricky and sly. Just as soon as I become authoritative, he'll turn what I say into something else and, I'll get emotionally (spiritually) forced to let him keep his stuff just a bit longer here, and then I'll get all mad at myself later for letting him, 'do it to me again.' It's a cycle with me sometimes. Go figure.
Ministry is sometimes fun and sometimes very challenging. This particular dilemma is very challenging.
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Another dilemma
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comment:
Well God must've heard me typing...
The homeless fellow came in this afternoon (right after I posted my entry in my blog), apologized for keeping his stuff here far too long, and took it away with him. We spoke about his not fully understanding our initial arrangement and he apologized. Explaining that we can no longer keep his stuff here, he seemed to understand.
Now of course, this doesn't mean he won't try to bring his stuff back- but it does mean that the conversation went well and there were no fireworks or angry responses.
I should type out all my challenges beforehand- perhaps this is another way that God keeps informed about life's happenings. ;)
Post a Comment