THE UNTAMED HORSE
There was another homeless African American named Arthur who lived at our
Halfway House With Alfonso and others. He had also been here with us for 4 years. He was one of those whom everyone considered hopeless, nobody cared for him, not even the church people thought he-could-be-changed type of person. This man I also took him in.
Arthur was so totally different from Alfonso, he was like a wild horse that could not be tamed. There were constant conflict between us, and he quarreled with me oftentimes. He was so rude and had no respect whatsoever towards me, I felt I could not tolerate him anymore. Sometimes the quarreling went so bad that our neighbor had to call the police. However, when the police arrived, my heart would soften and decided to let him stay on. Over time, I had to learn to be patient and forgave him countless times. Just like Peter asked Jesus how many times should he forgive others. And Jesus answered him: 70 times 7 times. Similarly, I had to learn this lesson of forgiveness endlessly, until I myself would change too.
I had to learn that it is not others that need to change, but me first. I need to humble myself and accept other’s mistakes, rudeness and wrongdoings. God used Arthur to help me learn this hard lesson, and He gave me the grace to bear and change.