Encouragement

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:9-21

I try not to think about work on my days off. Mostly for my own self-care. If I dwell on what's going on at work, all have to get done, etc I'll never be able to take care of myself which in turn I won't be any good to anyone else, including but not limited to my clients. But today I'm taking that exception to reflect on my week.

I was hoping the wonderful weather we were having would be a good sign of what would happen during the week. And then the drama was turned up this week. Lying. Manipulation. Hurtful words. Gossiping. It's sad, but those words make it obvious that I work with women. Some days, I would much rather work with men who will punch each other and then get over it, rather than women who play mind and word games endlessly. I was just reflecting on what I've been reading also this week in my quiet times and not so quiet times. We've been talking a lot about evangelism at church and I'm really looking forward to getting involved in ministry teams this summer and to see how God is going to be working through the hundreds of churches participating in the EACH campaign this summer. Part of the ideas and sermons we're hearing come from the book Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick. I picked up the book this week and so far am challenged. I think and pray for my clients during the day, and while I can't blatantly share my faith with them I try to show them the love of Christ even when they are gossiping, lying and trying to manipulate others. And while I may have had some negatives this week, let me recap the positives:

1. I had my first client complete our program!! She and her child moved into transitional housing this week and couldn't be happier. I saw her packing her car right before she left and she hugged me and thanked me profusely. And while I'd like to take all the credit, I know I can't. She worked with Orchard's Family Services in their Families First program which granted her an extension. She went through a lot of trouble working with the courts against her abuser. There were days she wasn't sure she could tell her story again. I prayed for her. I watched her process through her past and struggle to find funds for everything and struggle through the "system." I couldn't be happier for the way God provided for her and I hope (and I say this from the kindest part of my heart) I never see her again. Because if I do, that means she's probably coming back to shelter... 
2. I had another client get accepted into a transitional housing program. This client had a lot less barriers than the first woman, but she still has a lot to deal with that we have barely scratched the surface with. I think seeing the joy on client's faces when they are accepted into any housing program or they have some sort of success is one of the greatest things. I tell the client's how happy I am for them and make sure they know I am available if they need anything else. For some of my clients, little things like getting clothes from the Baldwin Clothing Closet is HUGE. 
3. On a personal note, I am still down ~11lbs. I am noticing muscle tone in my arms especially. I tried on a pair of size 9 pants this week. Not only did they fit over my thighs I BUTTONED THEM!!! So naturally I bought them. (Don't worry, they were on sale and I had a coupon) Yes they are still extremely tight but now I can try them on every week to see if they fit better. A much better tell of my getting healthy rather than the scale. Eating healthy is still a challenge most days as many people around me don't care what they eat. But many days and times I try to "cheat" I get sick to my stomach. Or I just can't eat as much as I have previously. I also found out that I'm Vitamin D deficient. Which it turns out is a lot a bigger of a deal than was thought of a couple years ago. So now I'm pumping up on mega doses of Vitamin D everyday.

 And so my experiences in the last week led me to Romans 12 today... May you be encouraged like I am.