Go figure

I am amazed. By the owner of this house, Monica.

Ever hear the old saying about understanding someone by walking a mile in their shoes? I try to do that sometimes...put on their shoes, so to speak, in order to understand them. I think it helps, don't you? Sort of delete Monica, insert D'Arcy. Insert me into Monnie's IHOP responsibilities, into her home-owner status, into her relationship with her family and friends, etc. Its goal is to help me empathize with her and see things from her viewpoint. As far as empathy goes, it really helps, but I doubt that I'll ever see things from her viewpoint. For that to happen, I'd have to be wired differently. Just when I think I'm beginning to understand her, she goes and does something like what she's doing now...

Back up. A couple of years ago I was visiting Lawrenceville with my neighbor Mary. We lived side by side in Indiana, and my daughter Louise thought it would benefit us to attend a week-long teaching hosted by the International House of Prayer-Atlanta called "Introduction to IHOP". Louise shared the basement of the K.'s house with Monica...soon Hannah and Josiah would arrive making up the third and fourth residents. One day we were in the car on the way to the HOP and Monica said, "I'm praying about buying a house." Sounds simple enough...a young woman wanting to own a home. But this young woman was living on less than $1000/mo. and was wanting to buy a home in the Atlanta area? Right. Mary and I had gotten to know Monica enough however to know that if she set her heart on something, the Lord would probably give it to her. So we said, "We'll pray too." And we did. Less than a year later, Louise was helping me move down to the new house.

Fast forward a year or so. Oh yeah, how the whole "putting myself in her shoes" fits in here is that I've really enjoyed living here. I've enjoyed the benefits of the house while having none of the financial responsibility. I pay my portion of the mortgage and the utilities and leave the rest to Monica. If I want to help clean, I can. If I want to help out with yardwork, I can. After a while, I remembered how crushing the burden of owning a house used to feel to me when I owned one. Even though 'twas but a little bitty house, I would get overwhelmed at times but the knowledge that the buck stopped with me for all the decisions involved in owning it.

So I would try on Monnie's proverbial shoes and experience her burdens. I would let the whole crushing weight of owning this home push me down and the result was real empathy and compassion for what she's going through. Or so I thought.

Now she's looking for another house! She wants a bigger one for more family members. She's not only NOT crushed by the weight of home ownership, she's positively aching for more! Again I say, "Go figure."