Abandoned by Choice

Abandoned

This used to be a dry cleaners at one time. Back in 2006 when I was looking for space for a new church, the owner of the building did not want me, he felt he could make more from the location. I know someone who wanted to open a small diner/coffeehouse there once and she was rejected the space for the same reason. Just the other day I met a man who three years ago wanted to make the space an art supplies store that also would teach painting and pottery and so forth to people.

In all three cases you had people who had money and a plan that would restore the space. Here we are a decade later and the building is still crumbling and abandoned and neglected.

We can sometimes be that landlord and the building is our heart.

We are abandoned and neglected and we, for whatever reason, refuse to allow anything in there that may fill us, restore us, give us a purpose and invite beauty in. 

I am not saying we should invite anything and everything and everyone in. But we do need to take a chance on a tenant be it a friend or a lover or a hobby. We still have to be a good landlord of our heart and screen tenants well and we may have to evict someone or something because it threatens the space or does not honor it. That is fine. To not let anything or anyone in will only lead to one road, a slow and crumbling death as the heart deteriorates from neglect. 

We often get abandoned and I am sorry. I know what that feels like. But please. Do not be abandoned by choice. That is neglect.