Drunk Man in the Basement

Sometimes when God is trying to get a point across He chooses to do it in the most dramatic way possible so that we do not forget the point of the story. He does this quite often in my life, perhaps because I am such a vivid person and the more color something has to it the more likely I am to remember it.

Let me preface this story a little before I get into the meat of it. My now ex-husband and I lived in the basement of my 83 year old father’s house because we took care of his basic needs. We therefore, have a house full of items in a tiny space. Like, 2 dressers, two nightstands, a big chair, a big bed, a vanity, two large bookcases plus the washer and dryer, furnace and hot water heater, not to mention the hanging clothes since there is no closet and some shoes. We coexisted very well in the small living corners…until…we decide to rearrange the many items we had.

I had recently started my own Mary Kay business and I needed an office corner so to speak and that’s what started the whole mess. As we began to clean and reorganize it became a cluttered mess. We had boxes here, shoes over there and dressers right in the middle of everything. And after the third broken candle we were getting pretty frustrated. I am going to be very open about our relationship from this point on so you may want to buckle up! My ex was a very organized, simple man, not fond of clutter. His truck was always clean and there was no extra of anything laying around. Me? Well let’s just say being the creative person that I am, I hang out in the opposite end of the spectrum. I came into the marriage with stuff. Sentimental things of value to me. I have a hard time letting things go because I KNOW that I will need it later for something.

So here we were busy rearranging and cleaning and moving when the bickering began. I would be busy doing my own area and he would need me to take care of something where he was, immediately. Then came the all too common “You have too many clothes” comment which I retaliated with “I just gave away 5 boxes of clothes to our friends and 8 pairs of jeans to my daughter.” Then it was just like an explosion when off in our basement and there was no containing the words which flew. Then we would calm each other down from our frustrations and keep moving forward until the tension built again and another eruption would follow.

Then came the moment when everything was out of place and he could not see the vision of the finished project when I could clearly see it in my minds eye and I lashed out in a authoritative way. I said these words to him as he wanted to just give up:

“So what you are saying is this, if this basement was a drunk guy in need of Jesus that you would just give up on him? Are you saying he has no hope? Do you believe he is broken beyond repair?”

Dead silence filled the basement. As we began to realize that our mess was fixable. We knew in that moment that we could not give up hope. We were willing to do what it took to regain order.

Isn’t this how we should be with the broken people in our lives? No one is beyond repair. No one is worth giving up on. Everyone has a purpose and we need to be willing to give someone our best shot. We need to let them know that there is always hope.

There was one point towards the end of “project basement overhaul” that I was ready to be done and he looked at me with his a smile and said, “So now you’re ready to give up on the drunk guy?” I will never forget that day in the basement. God used something as simple as rearrange a living space to teach me a powerful lesson on how to never give up on people and to always remember there is hope for everyone!

Dear Lord, Thank you for your grace and mercy. Help us to remember that above all else in life that we all have worth and no matter how bad off we think someone is, Your grace is there. Help us to have patience with one another in all of life’s circumstances. Continue to use ordinary life situations to teach us lessons on how we can be a beacon of hope for someone else. In Jesus Name Amen