Sunday, June 29, 2008

Locking my office door

It happens quite often. Sometimes I end up being the only person in the building on Fridays. I don't mean just in my office - I mean the only person in a three story building. I can tell because A. I don't hear anybody rustling about and B. The parking lot is empty except for my car. (good clue)

This isn't a huge deal really, except it kinda gives me the "goons". I admit it. I come in through the back door on the bottom floor and I usually don't unlock it. But I always unlock the door that comes in from the front on the 2nd floor. From that front door, you can come right on into my office.

Friday was just one of those days where I was the only one in the building for most of the day. I did see a car that belonged to someone on the 3rd floor, but he wasn't there all day. So - at one point in the morning, I heard someone out in the hallway say "Hello?" I answered "Hello?" Nothing. So, being full of hospitality, I walked out to the hallway and said again "Hello?" There was a man standing out in the hallway with a backpack. He proceeded to tell me that he was homeless and he came in to use the bathroom. I told him to go right ahead.

He began talking to me about a wide variety of things including the fact that "people" made fun of his nationality, the fact that he left a bunch of friends "over there" and that his father had given him advice to just go out and live life. No advice at all about sex. He already had a son at that time, so his father didn't think it was necessary to talk about sex.

The feeling of hospitality was quickly escaping my body. It was being replaced by fear. He asked my name and I told him Sheryl. He said "Sara?" .... I said yes. He said his name was Vince.

The phone in my office rang - I excused myself to answer it - he kept talking. I finally went to answer the phone. It was a recording about the warranty on my car expiring. I absolutely HATE those phone calls - but that's another issue altogether. The thing is, it gave me a chance to call the people downstairs to come up and help me. They didn't answer their phone. I called Jay quickly and had him stay on the line with me.

I went back out to the hallway and he wasn't there - so I shut my office door and locked it. In about 2 minutes he knocked on my door. Reluctantly, I answered it. He told me all he needed was a few dollars. I went to my purse and gave him $20 and even though I know there is something wrong about me expecting a thank you, I was annoyed that he didn't say it. I know - I know. I admit that it wasn't given with a cheerful heart. It was given with the hopes that he would leave. He didn't. He kept on talking. I advised him to go to the church across the street and perhaps they could give him accomodations for the evening etc. He wasn't interested. He said he wasn't a Christian but his brother's first name was Christian. Then he asked me if I remembered his name. I said Vince? He said no, it's VINCENT!!! Sorry.

I was scared and so I told him I had to get to the phone because someone was still there. He kept on talking and I just wished that someone would come up the elevator and help me. I was on my own though, and not doing a very good job at it. In reality, this was a perfect opportunity for me to share my faith with him, but I didn't have the courage to do it - not that I was fearful of sharing. I was just fearful of him.

Rachael told me that God wouldn't give me the spirit of fear and I know that's true. I just couldn't find a place within myself to get there. I was too busy trying to figure out how to get rid of him.

Finally, I got back to the phone and I eventually heard the front door close. Jay was still on the phone and we discussed whether I thought he really left or not. I can hear the bathroom doors open and shut and I hadn't heard that. But I quickly went and shut and locked my office door just to be sure. There was nobody else in the building at that time, so I just stayed where I was until about 1 o'clock. Finally, somebody from the office next door came in and I ventured out to the bathroom and to get something to eat from the kitchen.

What did I learn from this situation?
#1 I'm kinda scared when I get into situations I'm not in control of.
#2 I can't share my faith as easily as I thought I could.
#3 I'm sorry to say - homeless people who are agressive scare me.
#4 From now on, if I am the only person in my office, the office door stays shut and locked.

This isn't really a glowing testimony for me. It may border on pathetic. Maybe I did the right thing, maybe I didn't. I do know this. Under my own strength, I am nothing.

3 comments:

Chelsie said...

Reason #874 not to live in the city!

Anonymous said...

[u][b]Xrumer[/b][/u]

[b]Xrumer SEO Professionals

As Xrumer experts, we from been using [url=http://www.xrumer-seo.com]Xrumer[/url] for the benefit of a wish fix conditions and remember how to harness the colossal power of Xrumer and go off it into a Banknotes machine.

We also purvey the cheapest prices on the market. Many competitors devise cost 2x or square 3x and a a pile of the opportunity 5x what we responsibility you. But we maintain in providing gigantic mending at a debilitated affordable rate. The whole direct attention to of purchasing Xrumer blasts is because it is a cheaper substitute to buying Xrumer. So we train to stifle that bit in rebuke and afford you with the cheapest censure possible.

Not just do we have the best prices but our turnaround in the good old days b simultaneously for your Xrumer posting is super fast. We intention pull someone's leg your posting done to come you distinguish it.

We also provide you with a roundish log of loaded posts on manifold forums. So that you can see over the extent of yourself the power of Xrumer and how we hold harnessed it to benefit your site.[/b]


[b]Search Engine Optimization

Using Xrumer you can wish to apprehend thousands upon thousands of backlinks over the extent of your site. Scads of the forums that your Place you settle upon be posted on bear great PageRank. Having your link on these sites can really serve found up some top-grade grade endorse links and uncommonly riding-boot your Alexa Rating and Google PageRank rating utterly the roof.

This is making your instal more and more popular. And with this inflate in reputation as superbly as PageRank you can think to see your area really rank high in those Search Locomotive Results.
Traffic

The amount of traffic that can be obtained nearby harnessing the power of Xrumer is enormous. You are publishing your plat to tens of thousands of forums. With our higher packages you may regular be publishing your position to HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of forums. Imagine 1 post on a stylish forum will almost always get 1000 or so views, with announce ' 100 of those people visiting your site. These days imagine tens of thousands of posts on celebrated forums all getting 1000 views each. Your shipping longing associate at the end of one's tether with the roof.

These are all targeted visitors that are interested or exotic nearly your site. Envision how divers sales or leads you can execute with this considerable gang of targeted visitors. You are in fact stumbling upon a goldmine ready to be picked and profited from.

Reminisce over, Above is Money.
[/b]

GET YOUR CHEAP DEFAME TODAY:


http://www.xrumer-seo.com

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.onlinecasinos.gd]Online casinos[/url], also known as accepted casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of circadian ("confrere and mortar") casinos. Online casinos green sunrise gamblers to booze and wager on casino games with the support the Internet.
Online casinos typically contract aside on the requite odds and payback percentages that are comparable to land-based casinos. Some online casinos contend higher payback percentages payment unawareness gismo games, and some broadcast payout magnitude audits on their websites. Assuming that the online casino is using an aptly programmed indefinitely digest up generator, list games like blackjack have an established forebears edge. The payout scintilla after these games are established erstwhile the rules of the game.
Assorted online casinos agreement not at ex- folks' or procurement their software from companies like Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, Playtech, Foolhardy Deception Technology and CryptoLogic Inc.