I’ve had a friend staying with me for the last couple of weeks. She had emergency surgery and had no place to stay afterward because she’d sold the home she’d lived in off and on for over 30 years. It says in the Book of Job,

To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friend, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. ~ Job 6:14, NKJV.

I especially like the New Living Translation of that verse,

One should be kind to a fainting friend, but you accuse me without any fear of the Almighty. ~ Job 6:14, NLT.

And the English Standard Version is even better,

He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. ~ Job 6:14, ESV.

The second half of that verse is a little confusing, so I decided to include the ESV, because that version makes it much more clear than the other translations. I don’t ever want to be guilty of forsaking the fear of God. That would be a really dumb thing to do, considering I value God’s opinion of me above all else. Regardless, that verse forms the basis for the title of this post.

It’s been over forty years since I had a roommate, and the last time didn’t go very well, which was why I’ve lived alone all these years, aside from the fact that I kind of like living alone. I’m not accountable to anyone but my cats and God. I can do whatever I want whenever I want when I’m by myself, and especially, I can talk to God out loud and no one will think I’m weird.

I figured there must be something wrong with me, since I failed the last time I tried over forty years ago. It never occurred to me that every relationship is a two-way street, and that both parties contribute to its success or failure. Needless to say, I’ve grown a lot since then, but I’m still surprised to find that things are going quite well this time. My friend and I are able to get along without any difficulties, and we’ve been able to resolve any problems that arise easily and without conflict. Also, she’s a good cook ~ which is great for me, because I don’t cook; I nuke ~ so she cooks most of the time, and I’ve begun to cook a little too. All of which says that I’m becoming marginally domesticated as a result of having her stay with me!

How cool is that!

Having this latest wrinkle added to my life has given me a whole new perspective on things. Maybe I could consider living with a roommate ~ or not ~ but maybe a roommate isn’t outside the realm of possibility for me, as long as it’s the right person. I just have to make sure that it’s the right person, otherwise I’ll end up in disaster like I did forty years ago, and I really don’t want that to happen!

It would be nice if it was my friend, because she’s a known entity, and I wouldn’t have to get used to someone new. I’ve already begun to get used to her, plus she’s someone I’ve known for many years, and we enjoy each other’s company. The same things make us laugh, and the same things make us sad. She knows my background ~ in fact, she was part of the prayer team that prayed for me to be integrated out of multiplicity back in 2003.

So it’s something to think about at least. We’ve been talking about it, and I was surprised that she didn’t pooh-pooh the idea out of hand. I thought sure she’d reject it without even considering it, but she didn’t. We agreed that it’s an option to be evaluated along with all the other possibilities that are available. And we also acknowledged that, first and foremost, we have to pray about it, because God has a plan for both of us, whether that plan includes us living together or not.

So that’s it. In the time since I started writing this over a month ago, all kinds of things have happened, and I’ve become more and more comfortable with the idea of having my friend live with me. She had her surgery on October 14th, and came to stay with me after she was discharged from the hospital, so I picked her up from the hospital and brought her home with me. God is so good, and I’ve learned all sorts of things about myself since she arrived, most important of which is that I’ve grown enough that I can consider living with a roommate if she’s the right person. I’ve been quite satisfied to live with Jesus as my roommate all these years, because He doesn’t do bad things to me.

There are friends who pretend to be friends, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. ~ Proverbs 18:24, RSV.

A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. ~ Proverbs 18:24, NKJV.

It’s interesting that the same verse could be translated so differently, which is why I included both versions. The part that matters is the second half of the verse, because Jesus is the Friend who sticks closer than a brother, of course, and I’ve learned that I can trust that He would never do anything to hurt me. I’m so grateful for that! And maybe I’m strong enough now that I can deal with it if I get into a painful interaction with a roommate, because I can go to God with the pain, whereas I couldn’t do that before, because I didn’t know Him well enough to know that I could trust Him.

It’s so good to know that trusting God can translate into trusting people!