(continued from 2 July 2013)
Betty Jo had watched the tornado hop over her house. Realizing that this tornado had spared her, but not her community, she left her home to go be an angel of mercy to those around her. Though she literally saved lives during this time, her activity masked her own imminent needs.
Betty Jo is a brilliant woman. She has held significant jobs in the banking industry for years, supervising hundreds of employees and millions of transactions. After a series of devastating losses - including divorce and a son with difficult learning issues - her life began to spiral out of control.
She compensated for these losses with possessions. She became a master of bargain hunting and collecting objects on the side of the road. It is not that this is bad, unless you are buying and collecting things for which you have no need. Betty Jo became a hoarder. She knew it was not good. She knew it was not healthy. But she could not find the emotional strength to stop. These "things" were a comfort to her.
When the tornado missed her, her guilt increased. In her mind, she deserved the tornado. Possessions possessed her, but she could not say "no." So many of her friends lost everything, but not her. She still had everything. Her life was full of stuff. And then to make it worse, she could not find the will to let go of objects perhaps other people could use.
Her story is not the typical story regarding Joplin's tornado. But what we found is that God was very much at work in Betty Jo's life. Though she was ready to give up, God found her worth loving and pursuing.
Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.
Psalm 119.37, NIV
More of Betty Jo's story to come!
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