FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 - LISTENING TO GOD

 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2023 - LISTENING TO GOD

On Friday, I write about spiritual things. 

Today, I’m writing about a case when I heard and didn’t act. (ouch)

My story:

I missed an opportunity - or rather, I didn’t work hard enough to make the opportunity happen.

I’m in an apartment complex of twenty different buildings.  My particular building is building #1 - and it has twelve apartments.  I’m friends with two of the apartments - Bonnie - who is next to me, and Aura - who lives above me.  The other side of the building has apartments 1 to 6.  I wouldn’t even recognize any of those 6 apartment livers. 

The apartment across from my door is #107 (I’m in apartment #109).  There have been maybe four different occupants in my five years living here in that apartment.  I haven’t taken the time to be “neighborly”.  Above that apartment is #108.  I’ve known two occupants over the years, but I have no idea who lives there now.  

But my thoughts are on apartment #112.  For a long time, it was Kathy’s apartment - but two years ago, Kathy moved to another building.  (Apartments with even numbers are up outside stairs, and the climb was getting hard on Kathy, who found a first-floor apartment in the same complex).

The most recent resident of apartment 112 was a ‘kid.’  Bonnie knows more about him than I do.  She thinks he was under 21, and his mother rented the apartment in her name.

I don’t think the kid had a job. He seemed to strum his guitar at odd hours and play his hip-hop music way too loud (or too loud for Bonnie).  And, maybe his mistake was that he smoked weed in his apartment (aka “marijuana”).  

I’m not sure how he got in trouble - maybe it was the weed smoking.  But about two months ago, “Johnny” (I don’t even know his name) had six cops at his door.  He had his electricity turned off (I suppose for non-payment).  The fire department was called out once as he was trying to cook some dinner in the fireplace.  (I tried my fireplace once - and got smoke, and seemingly nobody uses their fireplaces - so it is a decorative feature to the apartments).

In an attempt to get his power on, about midnight a month ago, Johnny climbed on a heavy plastic tub where all twelve electrical meters are and tried to connect his power.  Unfortunately, it didn’t work and cut off Bonnie’s apartment’s power.  (oops).

My only real interaction with him was when he borrowed my plunger to clean out a clog in his toilet.  (He returned it in a few minutes and did say “thanks.”)

A month ago, God told me, “Be kind to the kid, take him to lunch, take him to the grocery store.  He needs a friend, and it should be you”.  

My response was, “Why me God?”

So, I started looking for Johnny to see if I could take him to lunch or buy groceries.  (I didn’t want just to give him money - as he might just use it to buy more weed).

I saw him a few days later when I came home from work.  I was tired and rationalized, “I’ll catch him again when I’m not so tired.”

I’d pull into the parking lot and see the metal stairs going up to his apartment, and I was reminded - “Be a friend, Karen, be a friend.  He needs a friend.”  But I was tired; I could do that another day.

“Sure God, one of these days I’ll help him out.”

Well, you can anticipate the end of this story.  Signs went up on his door, the cops mandated that the lock be changed so he couldn’t get in, and he was evicted from the apartment.  Things (not many) were placed at the bottom of the stairs - he must have taken them sometime when I was gone.  And, he is gone.  

*****

I feel a little guilty.  I had what I thought was a message to befriend Johnny - and I didn’t.  I talked about “LOVE WINS” and failed to show any LOVE to this kid.  

I’m like Jonah being sent to Ninevah and instead running away (and being swallowed by a whale).  

I blew it.  

*****

There is an expression, “Walk the walk and talk the talk.”  I can “talk the talk,” but I didn’t “walk the walk” on this one.    I think they call that a hypocrite.  

So, what now, Karen?

If I sense some kind of directive like this, I need to act on it then - not wait until it is convenient (because it will never be convenient).  

I talk about having invisible antennas - and sensing needs and places to show LOVE.  I just wasn’t using my invisible antennas this time!!

*****

“Okay, God, give me another opportunity.  Put me in, coach!!!”

LOVE WINS - BUT LOVE IS ACTIVE AND REQUIRES ACTION

LOVE TRANSFORMS - BUT YOU CAN’T BE PASSIVE

KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, SEPTEMBER 15, 2023