"Slight Judas"

Slight Judas: noun; may be used as a verb at times

A necessary evil, when at first glance, looks to be a roadblock on the path of your life, but upon second glance, has created more opportunity and paved the way for a better outcome.

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Allow me to illustrate with a few examples. One definite, one assumed...

The definite. Years ago, my brother, a friend and I went apartment shopping. All three of us were working on Prison Break in the props dept and cash was a-plenty. We wanted a three-bedroom bachelor pad and we spotted the perfect spot: A new complex on Greenville Ave, our home away from work.

So we went in one day, under dressed a tad, but hey, we had the dough right? Well, the leasing people said they had no 3-bedroom apartments to rent, and that's only after they looked us up and down with a scowl as if we had brought in the stench that was there before we arrived.

Got the boot out of there. We just encountered a Slight Judas, although we didn't know it yet.

We then rolled over to another complex nearer downtown - one with the same owner as the Greenville Ave outfit - and they told us that, indeed, the apartments we were just denied did have 3-bedrooms. They just apparently didn't want us around. Nice. So...

Long story short (too late?) we checked out a loft building downtown called the Davis Building, where we ended up living for two years...and shooting a movie in that should soon - please, God, please - be hitting video store shelves and perhaps premium cable.

So, what appeared to be a kick in the proverbial stomach that was our lives, turned out to be a blessing.

And now, the assumed. This morning A wanted some coffee and suggested we hit up Mickey D's early and let M watch the kiddos a bit. I suggested that if we were hitting the road, then I wanted to munch at Jack in the Box. But, that's not a vital part of the story, just the set up...

So I've been trying to sell my Jeep Wrangler and had it parked out front all day yesterday. Well, that's a "no-no" around our neighborhood and our Mr.Wilson's we've been saddled with have been emailing our landlord about us violating the code. Which code? We don't know. And who cares really? Not us! Anyhoo...

So last night, I moved my Jeep back in the driveway, blocking our car. The very car we wanted to take this morning for out breakfast getaway. And as I hop behind the wheel of the Jeep to move it, the ignition sticks. As it has a few times in the past. But this time, it was like moving a mountain. And while I could've "mustard seed'd" the thing with a shot out to God...something told me that we were simply not meant to leave just yet. Stuck, victim to the cold morning air, with a Jeep blocking our way. A Slight Judas.

Turns out, however, that after abandoning the Jeep idea for the Expedition, we hopped on the road and saw I-30 backed up big time. Perhaps by a wreck that, had we left when we originally planned, we would be in. Or fallen victim to. It's uncertain, hence the "assumed" part.

So when you come across a Slight Judas (noun) or you get Slight Judas'd (verb)...don't sweat it. God has a plan.