Can any good thing come out of losing your home and having no other choice but to live in a group home?  Can one ever bounce back after sinking so deep in poverty, hopelessness and despair? How does one bounce back after having one’s pride so deeply wounded and one’s head hanging down in shame? Is there any reason to even hope for the future?  Oh yes, there is! There are a million reasons to hope for a future filled with God’s love and abundance!

For years I hung my head in shame, too embarrassed to share with anyone that I spent several months as a resident in a group home. I struggled with low self-esteem until I learned that my past does not define my future or diminish my value in God’s eyes.  I was finally able to hear the gentle and loving voice of Jesus whispering to me that I am His own!  I belong to Him!  He purchased me with His own blood!  That was a moment of revelation for me and truly empowering!  I am a child of the King of kings, the greatest person to ever walk on the face of this earth!  He loves me just the way I am!

Living in a group home taught me two very important lessons. It taught me true humility, a very painful but valuable lesson.  It also taught me to develop an awareness of and compassion for the poor in our society. What better way to know how they feel and to understand their thought process than for me to experience for myself what it is like to be down on my luck and needing someone to give me a hand up?  How could I have a heart for the poor unless I truly know and understand their struggles?  In order to lift us up from our fallen state, Jesus took on flesh and lived a life of poverty. He knows how weak and frail our flesh is and He knows all about our struggles.

Living in a group home as a recipient of services prepared me to later serve other women and children in similar situations. A year after exiting the program, I was blessed with the opportunity to go back as a staff member in one of the other homes and spent many years providing services to the women and children who came for help.  I had no difficulty connecting with them on a deep level and listening to their spoken and unspoken words. I knew how they felt because I walked in their shoes.  It was a joy for me to work with them setting goals, encouraging them and empowering them to reach for the stars.

My experiences on both sides of the equation placed me in a position to impart some really valuable lessons to these women, the biggest of which were:

• Jesus loves them just the way they are.
• They are of no less value than those enjoying great riches and abundance.
• Their current circumstances are simply milestones along the road to greatness.
• There is hope for the future.
• God has great plans to bless each of them exceedingly high above and beyond anything they could ever imagine.
• Acknowledging Him and yielding to His will are the keys to unlocking this great flow of blessings.
• With the right self-motivation, they can climb out of poverty and become anything they want to be, including contributing members of the society.