Shattering My White Picket Fence

My life was fine just the way it was. I lived in the suburbs of Cleveland. I was a stay at home mom to four wonderful children and was married to a wonderful man. I spent my days taking care of my family, driving my minivan to sporting events, endless practices and other commitments. I served at my church attending numerous Bible studies and women’s events. If you had a baby, I always baked you a casserole and if you needed someone to sit with you at a doctor’s appointment, I was your pal. I was your ideal Christian woman. I was a good person and was the epitome of a “good Christian.” Remember the sketch that Dana Carvey did on Saturday Night Live called “The Church Lady”. Well that was me…the good church lady that even lived behind a white picket fence. That was until March of 2010. That was when my world became unrecognizable. I will never forget the day my safe little Christian bubble burst. I had spent the last two years as a substitute teacher (that is another book I should write someday) and was looking for a more permanent vocation. I had this romanticized idea of a job that mattered. I wanted to give back to others. I began searching for a job at non-profits. I didn’t care what it was. I was ready to hug a tree, save a whale, whatever it took to work for a social cause. I saw an ad that intrigued me. It was for a homeless shelter. Sounded like a good fit. Homeless is a big problem in our world and maybe I could be part of the solution. I emailed my resume and actually forgot about it. One day I was off from teaching and wasn’t sure how I was going to spend my day. The following day I was scheduled to speak at an event in Akron (35 minutes from my home) so I decided to use the day off to scope out the location and prepare for the seminar, a day early. Let me stop by saying, in ten years of speaking…I have never done this. I got out of bed and threw on a t-shirt, jeans, put my hair in a pony tail and took off toward Akron. Ten minutes later my cell phone rang and it was a lady from the homeless shelter. I will never forget her words. “We received your resume and would love to interview you. Our schedule is very tight so what is the chance that you could come to Akron?” After picking my jaw up…I replied “You won’t believe it but I am already halfway there.” I went on to explain that I was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt but if they didn’t mind, I would be happy to interview in twenty minutes. I got out of my car and began to head into the interview until I realized something…I had a huge spaghetti stain on my shirt. As if it wasn’t bad enough that I was unshowered, with no make-up, hair in a pony tail, I also had a stain on my shirt! I then remember the rain coat that I had in my car. Yes…I entered the interview looking a mess and not just any mess. I was a mess wearing a raincoat on a day with no rain. Everything was working against me. I laughed as I entered the building thinking if they hire me it either has to be from God or they must be really desperate. I am not sure which was which, but they hired me. I began my job at the shelter and hated it from the beginning. During the first two weeks of employment, I went on three other job interviews. I begged God to get me out of there and to reconsider what He had done. I informed God that this little social experience was over and I was ready to go back to my other life. You know…the one where I was comfortable. The one that didn’t require that I spend my drive home crying. The situations that the women were experiencing seemed hopeless. Their stories were sad and well…I didn’t like sad. I like happy and fun. I like hope and feel good. I don’t like stories about drug addictions, prostitutes, sexual abuse and children who are hurting. One day one of those children asked me to play. I reluctantly agreed and skipped off to the playroom with an adorable child that was spending her formative years…homeless. As if that weren’t bad enough…she was born to a mom with HIV. We began putting a puzzle together and suddenly twenty minutes passed. I looked in her big brown eyes and told her that I couldn’t stay any longer and that we would have to quit the puzzle. She took her chubby little five-year old hands and put them on each side of my face and uttered words that haunt me still today. “Miss Joy…never quit!” A little girl that was living in a homeless shelter and born to an HIV positive mom was telling me not to quit! That was all that I needed to hear. We continued with the puzzle and ten minutes later we finished a life-size Barney puzzle. We high-fived each other as we celebrated our accomplishment. I returned to my office and she returned to her room. I am not sure about her…but I returned changed. That encounter was more than just a story about two people in a homeless shelter, but it was a catalyst to this book. God showed me many things in those first two weeks. He showed me what it means to be stretched for His purpose. He showed me what it looks like to be called and what it looks like to find your passion. More importantly, He showed me that being obedient is not impossible. It isn’t always easy and sometimes it gets ugly and messy.