Evicted

On Monday morning I was driving home and noticed two police cars parked parallel to each other with the drivers' windows only a few feet apart at the end of the street.  I didn't think much about it.  How many times have we seen two police cars parked like this with the officers catching a quick chat? 

An hour later, I was leaving the house and they were still there.  This time I noticed they were not Fort Worth police; they were Tarrant County constables.  At the same time a group of men were going in and out of the house and bunch of stuff was now on the lawn of the house.  I realized the family was being evicted. 

I have found myself thinking about that family, who I do not even know, a lot these few days.  Part of me sympathizes with them for now they have to find a new place to live.  Part of me understands the reality that housing costs money.  Mostly, I hope for them they are safe.  The house now sits empty waiting for someone new to move into make a home.

Over the last several months, I have had to commit a few evictions of my own.  I have kicked some things out of my life that just could not stay.  Self-reflection, prayer, support from my wife, have all played a role in being able to keep these tenants out of my life.  Evicting habits and pain is not easy.  I wish I could have called for an eviction notice and had two constables oversee the work.  It would have taken less time and probably been much easier.  I have learned, however, that bad habits and pain do not pay attention to eviction notices; they keep coming back if I do not keep a watchful eye on my house.

Honestly, I had an option; I could have let those old tenants stay in my life.  Those habits, frailties, and bruises, that brought so much pain to my life and the life of people I loved, could have stayed, but those things are not the things of life.  They stole from me and the people around me much like the family down the street was basically stealing to be point of being physically evicted from a house.

The house down the street sits empty.  My life, my spirit, is not empty.  It is being filled daily with the love of my wife and my boys.  I am being filled by helping on several community boards.  I am being filled by letting the light and grace of God into the darkest recesses of my soul. 

Yeah, I had to evict some things from my life. I had take the time to remove the log from my own eye.  I had to stop and let the peace of Christ take up residence in my life.

Evictions are not easy.  They are difficult.  The fact still remains that poor tenants have to go from our lives so that healthier, better tenants have the opportunity to move in.