When mundane becomes miraculous.

I am continued to be amazed at how God gets into the mundane details of our day. With Him, miraculous things happen in the mundane. Please don't get me wrong. My idea of the word "mundane" is probably not the same as yours. I have never had a boring day at work. It would not be unheard of for the spectrum of my day to start with talking someone off of a ledge (metaphorically, of course), cutting a check to a landlord and then calling the family living in a van to inform them that they can now drive to their very own home. to sorting through a pile of stinky shoes to find a pair of steel-toed boots for the fella that just landed a job working for a factory...

Nothing about my job is mundane.

However, there are some cases that are pretty cut and dry. Maybe my client doesn't have a lot to report: they lost  their job, experienced a medical emergency, or even had to pay their property taxes. Whatever the case, they have come for someone to hear their story and reach out to them with whatever she  can do to help. No two stories are alike, as God created us all with different characteristics and delights in that. He cherishes our differences and revels in our individuality.

During a case management appointment, I am given the opportunity to hear each story and respond the best way I know how. It could be a simple utility pledge, a sleeping bag and tent, a call into an employment agency... lots of options. I rely on the spirit of God--the true source of love and compassion--to give me the discernment that I need to move forward. Complete reliance on the spirit of God is key for doing what I do. And some days, He surprises me.

Today after listening to the details behind this particular  case, I was close to wrapping up when something told me to hold on for a second; that something more was there yet left unsaid. You see, I try to offer some hope before I send my clients out into the unknown. Many times, I MUST leave God to take care of the stuff that I can't. I must maintain my boundaries, but recognize that my God has no boundaries. I thanked my client for coming in and asked them if I could pray with them. It was  then that a beautiful revelation came as a tragedy came to light.

Sometimes when I send my clients out the door, I sense their worry. Will they be able to find others places like the Ministry center to help them as we have? It is a hard feeling knowing that you have given all you can yet it isn't what they may have hoped for. But sometimes, they have survived the unimaginable and end up reminding me that even if the prayers don't get answered in our time, or the tragedy is not averted, God is still walking with us. He never leaves us. And when we have come to the end of ourselves, scripture tell us that, "Those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, shall mount up with wings of eagles, shall run and not be weary.." (Isaiah 40:31)

Tragedy had struck, yet faith remained. Strength remained. Joy eventually came, and hope was found because of the very one who represented it all, and His Name is Jesus Christ.

Thank you God, for bringing miraculous through the mundane.

Joy

Pre-Cursor: Thank you. You have listened to me describe some of the most intimate details of my calling at the Ministry center and have prayed for me, offered me encouragement, a listening ear, or even let me cry on your shoulder. God is indeed my strength, but you all have helped more than you know.

Do you have joy? 

I know that is one heck of a question to kick this party off with, but lets do it anyway. The reason I ask is because there are days that I question that in myself. Thursday and Friday are great case-in-point days for me to walk you through that might give you an inclination as to the great burden I sometimes bear versus the joy and love that I pray is displayed through my life everyday. Much of the case work that I manage is based on my perception of what could easily be described as emergent, or desperate. If I can't get this homeless patient the meds he needs, he will be found deceased in a car that he is temporarily staying in. If I can't find this single mom a place to stay with her kids by the time the hotel forces her to leave, they will have to sleep the streets until some other option opens up. If I can't find transportation for the addict to get to the rehab before they change their mind and decide that the physical pain of withdrawal is more than they can handle, I have lost again. 

Now, now, now. I must move on it now. 

A very dear friend reminded me that it is easy to get caught up in trying to figure out the solution to the problem before giving God the time to make His move. Sometimes that sense of urgency that sits on my chest can somehow hinder my own ability to rely on God and His timing, not my own. And [God] forbid if the pressure that I feel in a moment of dispair would hinder the glory that God is about to get by revealing His plans if only I would run to Him first instead of when I feel like the cards are stacked against me and my client  all I know to do is cry out to Him with all the breath that I have left in my lungs. 

Even if the timing isn't my own. Even if the answer doesn't come. The truth remains: all I need is Him. Yes, there is sorrow sometimes, but the joy that I have is not based on the temporary feeling of happiness that I have because it handled the situation like I wanted, nor is it based on the heartache that I sometimes see; my joy comes from knowing that I don't have to understand everything, but rather in knowing that I am a daughter of the King of kings and He has brought me to this place and equipped me to carry out His plans, and loves me no matter if I succeed or fail miserably.

So Father, thank you for this joy you have given me. Direct my feet, God. Close whatever needs to be closed, and continue opening what needs to be opened. Place me where you can use me, and continue to bless me with the joy that I get from simply walking with you, not on the temporary temperature of the day. Your daughter, Sarah

Typical nineties girl

I would like to wish a formal apology.

You see, I am a nineties girl. I graduated high school in 1998 from Conway High school (Hail to the blue and white, in all its radiant splendor, yada yada yada, go Wampus Cats, go!) and sometimes when I write on time sensitive subject matter, I forget that there are readers who may not realize exactly what I am in reference to. This is one of those posts, sorta.

The year was 1995ish. You see, while I may not have ever been a high school cheerleader (surprise, surprise, I know...), I was determined to wear the shoes that hit the nineties school yard the same way the flock of seagulls hairstyle hit the eighties. They were called Asics and they were beautiful. At the time, if you didn't own a pair of them, it was basically the same generational sin as if you were a girl who didn't own a Cabbage patch doll in the year 1986. The need was great to own a pair and in true-high-school-girl-drama-language, you were lame if you didn't. Or even worse, if your parents bought you the knockoffs from Walmart or somewhere else, you might as well banish yourself to the ball pit at Showbiz pizza (or Chuck-e-Cheese).

I had honestly forgotten about all of this stuff for a long time until I had kids. It was then that words like "North face" and "Under Armor" started surfacing on Christmas lists and I realized the kind of fear that my parents must have faced when I started uttering words like "Asics" or "Birkenstocks" to them. The days of simple clearance buys during Christmas shopping became utterances that mimicked, "I am not paying $58 for a fleece pullover just because the label reads a specific way." The grinch in me forced a smile on my face as I grumbled to the cashier, "You bet I want my receipt," as if keeping a record of the misery would somehow make me feel better when I was filing for bankruptcy after the new year.

Today, my outlook changed a little bit. (Don't act like you didn't see it coming...You knew this story would take a turn....Stay focused, people. Christmas is on the way for crying out loud.) For the last two weeks, I have had the honor to work with a precious family to which four children under the age of ten belong. Tonight, I was on a mission to find enough clothes to simply provide their mama for one outfit for every day of school per child. Each child had two complete outfits of their own, so I needed three additional outfits per child, or 12 outfits total. I headed to the pantry and pulled out my list with each child's size as well as if they were a boy or a girl and started digging in. With every piece of clothing that I placed in its pile according to the child's need, I remembered those old Asics. I remembered how proud I was of mine that I had to wear them like all of the popular girls. As I examined each shirt, pair of pants, and even nightgowns, I wondered what these kids would feel like when they didn't have to wear the same outfit every other day because that is all they had.

Suddenly I began to feel angry when I would find a shirt or pair of pants on it that had a blemish on it. I remember thinking about how special I felt in those Asics. How dare I find anything but the best for these kids?  

Folks, I know I get on here a lot and talk about God's plan for each one of our lives and how His love is so abundant, and how it changed me. That is all true, and I will never backtrack on that statement. -My life is the result of an ever-powerful, ever-loving God who saw something in me that I sometimes have a hard time coming to grips with. Like me, really? But yes, and you too. There are also days when I question why the answers don't come as clearly for this person as they do for that one; why God deals His hand this way over here and a different way over there. But what I do know is that while I may never know that answer until I come face to face with Him, I cannot stand by and do nothing.

Matthew 5:14 says that we are the light of the world. We are. So ask yourself, how can I shine my light today? Is it by checking on an elderly neighbor? Is it by making calling up a local pantry and seeing what they need at the moment? Is it by simply initiating a conversation with your checker at Kroger and telling them they are doing a good job? The possibilities are endless. The reward is eternal. <3