"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." Colossians 3:23Last week Tuesday I began working as a student custodial worker at Central College, my very first grown up job, meaning I had to fill out a W2, I am working 40 hours a week and taxes are taken out of my pay checks. The team I am working on is me, the only student worker and three others. We clean the dorm hall I live in as well as two other academic buildings. I actually really enjoy my job. I begin the work day at 6 a.m and end at 2:30, very complimentary to my early morning character. I am on my feet and staying busy all day making the days go quickly. I am able to set goals on how many rooms I intend to complete in a day and am able to see my goals complete, giving me encouragement and satisfaction.
However it has also been humbling. I have made a lot of mistakes. I am the worst worker on my team because I am new. This is a major first. School has not been easy for me, but I am good at learning and receive good grades, always putting me in the top percentiles, I am never the last. Even working the past two summers at camp, I may have been new and made mistakes, but I was working with children so of course mistakes will happen, children are unpredictable. But here I make mistakes because I did not fully understand instructions or I forgot, two things that I could have avoided doing. Often I find myself embarrassed when I am corrected or frustrated with myself due to a mistake. I am reminded I am not perfect or the best at this job; I am new, I have stuff to learn and mistakes to make.
The family I babysit for recently received a foster car placement of an autistic toddler.I spend three evenings a week with this family. This child tests my patience; he is full of energy, is always into stuff thus requiring much supervision, and does not listen well. He tests my physical strength; he always wants to be held (I think I have a permanent bruise on my left hip from him being held so much), my head strength because he is pulling and eating my hair so much, and my arm strength, often I am holding him with one arm as I cook dinner for the other children with my other arm. He tests my priorities; I often want to help out the mom by folding the laundry, picking up and doing dishes, but the children need love more. He tests my love; he cannot say thank you because he is non-verbal, he does not show appreciation and does not always come to me at a "convenient" time. He also tests my forgiveness.
The last time I had a young boy join a pre-established family, the family fell apart, that is the story of my family. With my personal connection to adoption, I do not enjoy the idea of foster care or adoption out of fear of more families being torn apart. Therefore, I was was so worried this small boy would do that very thing to the family I have come to love despite them being totally crazy. When I babysit, I often find myself remembering all the hurt I have inside of me. But foster care and adoption is not about me; foster care and adoption are about rescuing abused children to love them the way every child deserves.
I came into a sinful word and was "abused" by the ways of Satan. Yet for some reason God adopt me into His family. I shame Him and my "adopted" Christian family by hurting and tearing down those around me in my actions and words. But my adoption into God's family was not about God, it was about saving me. God did not adopt and forgive me so He would be glorified, He did it so I would be shown proper love. This is what real adoption and foster care are to be. Often families are praised as a result of their multi-cultural or multi-biological families. Adoption and foster care are not about the initiators themselves, but about the real life example of what salvation looks like. Neither adoption nor foster care are things that are worthy of praise; they are a result of a fallen world that is abusing and neglected innocent children. The act of adopting a child or becoming a foster family are things that should not be praised, it is simply people obeying the command of the Bible when James describes proper faith as taking care of orphans (James 1:27) or taking care of the 'least of these' because it is us taking care of Jesus (Matthew 25:45).
Everyday, I wake up and go into my training field. I am being trained for YWAM through learning patience, forgiveness, love and humility. God is so good. I did not understand why I was to work for the college and babysit other than to have a steady income for the summer. However King Solomon did tell us to lean not on our own understanding but to trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5,6). I did not understand, but I trusted the Lord and He was faithful in His provision.
--Livia
