Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!lll-winken!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!SMITH!JVANDOREN From: JVANDOREN@SMITH Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia Subject: Prayer request Message-ID: Date: 15 Jan 90 15:30:00 GMT Sender: Practical Christian Life Reply-To: Practical Christian Life Lines: 46 Approved: NETNEWS@PSUVM Gateway Original_To: BITNET%"christia@finhutc" Hi! I've got a prayer request. I'm living with four women in a house. Four of us are getting along great. But we are having a problem with the fifth. Her name is Donna Lee. She lost her job last October. She worked in the marketing department of a bank (the whole department got laid off due to budgeting problems). She is very bright and talented. Anyway, she took the lay off very hard. We were having a bit of a conflict before, but losing her job made things worse. I know that when bad things happen, the worst of one's personality tends to show more often then not. But it is getting hard to remain compassionate, when she is being so hurtful towards us (rude and (condescending). Just this morning (early), when something happened, I was so tempted to strike back (She was being noisy on purpose, to demonstrate her opinion on what happened (In order for her to leave her room, she has to go through mine)). Mean thoughts and accusations were running through my head like a freight train and I felt like slamming her door in the middle of the night. But once again, I realized that you can't fight fire with fire in this situation (one, because it would only exacerbate (sp?) the problem, two, I knew God wouldn't want me to do that!) Yes, we have tried confronting her about it. But we have not met with much success. I think she thinks it is our problem, not hers. I have tried my best to please her, but I have found that nothing is good enough. (The basic root of the problem seems to be that she has lived her life a certain way (the 'right' way) and expects us to live that way as well. But we can't). Anyway, please pray for Donna Lee. That she would find and take a job well-suited for her (I think she has gotten some offers, which she has refused). That she would try to see things from our point of view. That God would give Donna Lee a thankful attitude for all that He has given her. That she would trust Him for her life. (Her spiritual life has gone down hill too, resenting God for her lay off (she has said this to one of my roomates)). Pray for us. That God would give us good attitudes and abundant compassion and understanding. That I would continue to remember that I don't deserve God's compassion and grace which he has bestowed on me when I have wandered from him (and have been rude and ungrateful). That we would be able to show God's love to Donna Lee in constructive and helpful ways. Thank you very much! Julie