Suprised by Joy

As I sit in my office on the first floor of the Mission, contemplating what to write for this blog, I can hear the sounds of Mission life around me. I hear the call for guests or staff booming over the intercom paging speakers; I hear the buzzing of security doors as people go in and out of the Mission; I can hear the muffled sounds of a conversation between a staff member and one of the men in the discipleship academy. One of the sounds that I hear is a sound that few would expect to hear in a homeless shelter: laughter.

Laughter, at a homeless shelter? Yes, and lots of it. It is true that people come here broken, hurt, abused, and hopeless. But quite often, these emotions give way to a sense of healing and hope. I have often thought of how it appears to be an inconsistency that there would be joy in the midst of such heartbreak. Yet, it is there nonetheless.

How does this work? I can only offer these observations:

• The staff at the Rescue Mission is committed to treat each guest with love, dignity, and respect. Those who seek shelter at the Mission have been beaten up enough; we will not add to the misery.
• Our staff refuses to treat our guests as helpless victims of some unidentifiable system. We treat people as adults and challenge them to take responsibility for their lives. They are not victims. They are people created in God's image.
• Genuine hope is offered through the gospel of Christ. This is a hope and assurance that transcends one's financial or social situation. It is a hope that, is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading" (1 Pet.1:4).
• And, as our Executive Director often remarks, "the presence of the Holy Spirit of God cannot be denied." This is a place where the joy of the Lord resides. That joy becomes contagious.