Black sheep | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Black sheep | Previous Challenge Entry
By Leilanie Kelly
10/20/09
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BLACK SHEEP

I am one of those “nice people”, like a million others on this planet. We like peace. We tend to judge the “black sheep” of this world. And why not? They are ALWAYS looking for trouble and don’t even have a conscience about it.
We constantly try to change these black sheep in our families; a husband/wife, one of our children, a distant uncle… We dread going to the mall with them. We are constantly weary that some innocent by passer will inflict irritation and spoil the peace we worked so hard on maintaining the whole of the morning at home, in traffic and eventually at the breakfast table by Wimpy.
They cannot (or will not) change. But we love them, while not fully understanding the scientific attraction between opposites.
See, my husband is like that… yes, yes, I know I made my bed and now have to sleep on it!
With pride I announce that I received a double blessing from God. My teenage daughter is also like that! I must admit she doesn’t toy with my emotions as much anymore. I became stronger, because I had to.

So I was in the bank standing in a queue as long as Anaconda to deposit more than half my weekly earnings for another black sheep, my son. Eighteen years old and standing on his own two feet (while still hanging onto mommy’s apron strings), he ran into some financial trouble after some personal problems. He couldn’t twist his brother’s arm for a loan, leaving me feeling like the only sucker left in our family. He used to be nice like me, but apparently learned quicker than me!
Suddenly someone from the front of the queue indicated to me to move to the front. Obviously I held back at first, because that is not how things work, but they insisted, saying something about deposits only. I started moving forward slowly, singing praises to God in my heart. From behind me, two guys pushed passed me to get to the front. They were also there for the same reason I was.
I do not speak or understand Xhosa, but could understand full well that the other customers were very unhappy with us taking their places in front. We formed our own queue next to the real queue, two men in front of me and one man behind me. The one man was outspoken, boldly explaining that we were CALLED to the front. Who called us? Some bank staff member… Where is he? He was standing right there… No, no, it doesn’t work like that; we cannot just form our own queue! We have to go to the back of the line again…
I looked to the back. No… My heart sank into my feet. God, no!
But I said nothing. I always obey the rules…
It was clear to me that I had a black sheep in front of me. It was like watching a tennis match and I started considering leaving and coming back later, but knew instantly I would not be able to get off work again so decided to see it through.
Although I do not like pushy people (including my husband), I found my spirit filling with hope watching this man not taking no for an answer. When it was the next customer’s turn, we had a race between the black sheep in front of me and the customer whose turn it was suppose to be. Carrying on like children, they pushed one another along the way to the teller. I could not believe my eyes! In a bank! If it was my husband, I would have burnt holes in him with my angry glare! But I found myself giggling. Am I an insincere two-face? Are my standards dropping? But instead of feeling guilty that I was next in line because of a rude person, I felt a sudden rush of assertiveness.
As he finished at the teller, he turned and looked at me. He smiled and something stirred in me. It felt like there was more to that smile… like a message.
As I left the bank much earlier that expected, I heard God saying softly: “I love ALL My sheep, black and white… I use my black sheep to teach my white sheep to be more bold and carefree, and to roll rough stones out off their way. I created the law of attraction for a reason.”
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