I Love My Job!

I can't believe I can shout "I love my job" and truly mean it. I've had quite a few jobs over the years and most of them are cool for a few weeks or months and then the "uglies" start to show. By uglies I mean that coworkers and bosses start to show their true colors and the job gets tedious and boring. I've worked at several places that look all nice and shiny on the outside but are corrupt and dirty on the inside.

Anyway, I work for a nonprofit program for inner city kids (which shall remain nameless so I dont' get fired). I work the front desk area which includes answering the phone, maintaining the membership database, making sure everyone scans in every day, blah, blah, blah. I've done plenty of clerical work in the past, so what makes this place so special?

First of all it's the kids! I love them more than I can stand! In Matthew 23:37 Jesus says "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." That perfectly describes how I feel about these kids. I literally have this strong urge to gather them all in a big group hug and just squeeze them and tell them how precious they are to me. We're not really suppose to approach the kids to hug them but the kids can approach us. There's only a few that do come and hug me and it just makes my day!

The sad thing is by loving these kids I know I'm headed for heartbreak in most cases. They have absolutely dreadful home lives. Most of the parents don't work. Some of them do lots of drugs, deal drugs or are even prostitutes. I've heard parents scream and cuss at their kids and I feel ill. I know that a high percentage of them are physically and mentally abused. As a result, most of the kids are so hard hearted it tears me up. The worst part is the kids that are still tender hearted get picked on by the hard kids. I don't know which is worse.

Most of my coworkers love the kids like I do, which also helps to make it a place I love. We try our best to teach them right from wrong and encourage and inspire them on to bigger and better things. Despite our efforts, there's a good chance most of these kids will end up like their parents or worse. They go to school til 2:30 and are with us after school until 8. Despite the fact that they are hardly with their parents, their parents still have the biggest influence on them, hands down. That's how God designed it. There are some kids that will break free and rise above. I plan on working there for a long time so I know I will see both.

I will definitely be sharing more true stories from work in the future so stay tuned...