I Never Know

I never know what I'm going to find when we get back to our flat after someone has stayed here while we're gone.

One year we came back and the top of the washer was cracked. The washer is a front loader and the top has a plastic-rubber type covering on it, I think to make it 'non-slip'. I found out later that it was cracked because the gal staying here had smacked it over and over again with the heating element of the electric tea kettle, "trying to get the ants out". She was concerned that the ants were going to destroy the heating element of a cheap electric tea kettle and in the process ruined the top of a rather expensive washer. I don't think she has ever realized that she is the one who cracked it. Of course, the crack has grown and chipped a bit and is quite ugly, even if it's not all that big. I see it several times every day.

This time I've found at least two things so far. Different person, more damage. Actually, I know at least 6 people were in our flat while we were gone, so it could have been anyone who did it.

The glass door on the top cabinet was broken, up in the corner near the hinge. I did not know this, so when I opened the door to get some spices out, the glass door fell out of the hinge and almost knocked me on the head. Instead of my head, thank God, it hit the counter. Because it landed corner first, now I have a pencil eraser sized gouge in my counter top. At least it wasn't my skull. But, now I'll get to watch a slow disintegration of my counter top. Sigh. We bought them 9 years ago and I've kept the tops undamaged for 9 hears, aside from a knife mark someone else left while we were gone.

Today I was cleaning the stove top again and wondering why it's so hard to clean now. The stove is also 9 years old and I've kept the top totally clean - no marks, no scratches, no burned on food. Well, I finally felt the top with my fingers and found that someone apparently burned some food and tried to scrape it off with a sharp knife. There are several scratch marks in the enamel, some 6 or 8 inches long. Now keeping the top clean is going to be a much harder job. No more simply wiping down splatters and spills - now it's going to entail scrubbing them out when they are stuck in the scratches.

I am flummoxed. Why?

Well, I know why, to an extent.

People don't take care of other peoples' property. I saw this recently with furniture. The furniture was taking a beating and I asked why that was allowed and the comment was "it's not our furniture." This person didn't like the owner of the furniture, so the person didn't care that it was being abused and torn apart. (What a Christian witness to an unbeliever!)

OUCH!

I was taught from very young childhood to respect other peoples' property. I was taught "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". I am a firm believer that I need to care for others' things as well or better than I care for my own. It saddens me, but no longer surprises me, to find that other people do not think the same way.

It is a symptom of the society in which we live. All for me - I don't care about you. I am the most important person in the whole world and I really don't care about your well-being, except for how your well-being can make me feel better.

I am so glad God does not think this way! He cares for us and wants for us the very best of the very best. How can we, as Christians, model this to the world? By putting them first, by taking care of their possessions, by showing that we think of them more highly than we do ourselves - by LOVING them.

This is not an easy thing to do.

So, I came home this time to a ruined washer top, ruined counter top, ruined stove top. At least they are all still functional and I don't have to buy anything new right away. I'm just sad that my things (and me) were thought of and treated so poorly.

I am also reminded that things are not important - people are. Therefore, rather than being upset with the unknown person(s) who did the damage, I need to forgive and just go on. Things can be replaced, eventually if needed, but damaged relationships are very difficult to mend.