My Yes in My Mess

 

After visiting Kenya with Compassion several years back, Kristen Welch was led to make a difference for young, pregnant women in Kenya.  She founded Mercy House Kenya which continues to thrive and grow.  In fact, TODAY they move into a new house for the women.

Rhinestone Jesus is her newest book chronicling her journey from a Christian teen wearing her sparkly Jesus pin to the founder of a non-profit in Kenya.

As I read Kristen’s new book Rhinestone Jesus, I began questioning what my yes might be.

If you’ve been reading for the past 6 weeks, you might remember a post in which I wrote about coming to terms with my working mom status.  It’s been such a freeing last month to not carry the weight of the false guilt.  But still, even though I was coming to terms with working, I still didn’t see it as my YES IN MY MESS. 

God began pressing on me, though, that indeed my yes right now was to my job in that cubicle. 

But how could God ask me to say yes to that? Isn’t that the extreme opposite of any God-work?  Doesn’t that reek of the American Dream that Kristen wrote against in her book?  Aren’t I supposed to leave the cushy job and 401K to say yes?

As I continue to seek God, though, I realize he has been asking me to say yes all these years. 

Even without my joyful yes, he’s been using my job to teach me, not to embrace, but to let go of the American Dream. 

He’s taught me to live simply and give generously.

To let go of faith in income and benefits and understand it could all be *poof* gone in an instant.

He’s taught me not to rely on the security of a job and rely on Him. 

He’s taught me not to chase after fulfillment in a title, but my title as daughter of the one true King. 

He’s taught me to be a light for him, no matter where I go.

He’s taught me to have integrity and character in a place that at times is so very lacking. 

He’s taught me to work as unto Him and not to man. 

He’s taught me to put family first among so many other duties.

He’s been doing God-work all this time and I refused to see it.

God is not working in me and others in spite of my job, but directly through my job. 

My yes has been a very stubborn yes, but in the past month I have been whispering a joyful yes. Yes, Lord, if you really do want me in this space I’ll do it.  I’ll do it unto you until you move me. 

 

 

And yes, there’s a mess in my yes.  There’s laundry that sits in baskets for days and dishes that sit in sinks.  There’s tired mornings and missed school functions. *I* am the mess most of the time.

I resonated so much with Kristen’s husband who wanted to leave his corporate job to devote more time to Mercy House Kenya but stays right now to make their yes possible.  And I realized, my yes to my job has in part made their yes possible as we’ve been able to support Mercy House Kenya over the years.  And there’s many more yeses we’ve said to help others say yes to their calling.

So, I suppose it is as they say–we can’t put God in a box. His plans sometimes don’t look like what we thought they should.  One person’s yes will look wildly different than the next.  Someone else’s wrong might be our exact right.  We are all different parts of the body working together.  Watching Kristen’s yes unfold has taught me how to let go of the American Dream while working and in doing so, my working has helped support her yes. How cool is God?

So what does your yes look like?  Is it something big or maybe a little yes with a big impact?  All of our yeses to God matter and make a difference.

 

Rhinestone Jesus is so much more than about calling.  It’s about faith and parenting and marriage. I was so encouraged and I know you will be too.

Pick up Rhinestone Jesus on Amazon or any major retailer.  For more posts about Rhinestone Jesus, check out the link-up over here.

 

I was provided a copy of the book for the review but all opinions are my own.