Anybody can do it.

I am sorry dear friends in waiting a bit longer then a week to write. Let me give you a brief rundown of the last week and a half: 

• Board meeting
• First bridal shower with almost 50 people there!
• Attended the youth talent show
• Got sick again
• Moved...almost everything
• Women's conference
• Hot-Stone massage :)
• Moved some more
• Got the cutest little puppy
• Taught our puppy to sit, stay, come
• Grocery shopped
• Faced the crazy previous landlord
• Taught about being a faithful worker to my kids in class
• Paid my first rent to my new, amazing landlords
• And watched my guest list rise...(I think it is at 576 last time I checked) (And that's primarily family!!)

So, to say the least, if I had time to write a blog last week it would have been in my sleep! But I share all my craziness to point out one crazy that impacted both James and me significantly. Number 12. Now you may think I am being over-dramatic or exaggerating, but for the last six months I have experienced a landlord unlike any other. I feel like my roommate and I have literally been walking on egg shells with everything revolving around that house. It's been awful.

The past month, my top prayer request hasn't been about Easter prep, hasn't been about family health, hasn't even been about the wedding...it's been about my landlord. I have been consumed with thinking about the moment I move out and allowed resentment towards my landlord grow. So yesterday was the day I had been dreading. I went over early to the house to finish up a few things and thought I would be nice and try one more time with this particular landlord. I did touch ups in my room with the paint that was in the garage. It looked so similar and started to fade in as it dried, so I proceeded to do the whole room. Little did I know that it was the wrong paint. I left thinking it would dry and continued on my day. By the time I arranged to meet my landlord back at the house, James was with me. We had taken a moment to pray as we proceeded to go back and knew that regardless of what was going to happen, God has the entire situation in His hands. My landlord walked in with an attitude and I knew right then that this was not going to be a good visit. When my landlord walked into my room...well irate can't even begin to describe the reaction my landlord had. James and I tried to reason with her, saying let us know what color you want and we will paint it for you today. (I still had one more day before I officially had to be out). Nothing was working for this individual. So James and I, after realizing no matter how we acted or what we said, this landlord was going to be awful, just watched her quietly examine the rest of the house. 

Now here is the key to my blog today. As James and I drove off, both of us being extremely frustrated (and believe me...it takes A LOT to get me mad), James looks at me and says, "Babe. We got to forgive." See a week ago, my pastor shared a message on the power of forgiveness and that forgiving someone is not for them, but for you. (A great message to listen to. It's the second one in, dated 2-25: http://www.rccconline.com/online-messages/sunday-messages.html). James and I both made a significant choice right there in the parking lot of Costco, that we can know this previous landlord is being unjust to us, but we are going to forgive. See, my landlord didn't become this particular way over night. I feel that my landlord has been hurt and let down over the years and chosen to harbor bitterness and unforgiveness in their heart and thus with every circumstance that they face they chose to be spiteful and bitter, regardless of how good the situation is. It makes my heart break for my landlord and people who simply can't let go, because they were wronged too severely. If there was ever anyone who was wronged in the worst possible way...it was Jesus. And as he hung on cross, in a horribly unjust way...he forgave and didn't let bitterness rule.

There's a tid-bit for you.