Again, I and others have observed that our effort and resources were unable to overcome deeply entrenched resistance to change after four months with a woman we love and had hoped would embrace life recovery. But we know when to step back and leave all in God’s hands….
This is not- uncommon experience in working with women acclimated to homelessness, trauma, and isolation. Below is a reflection from seven years that expresses that reality.
12/10/2015-
“Today I was mentally drained, yet had an afternoon teleconference with a ministry mentor from out of state. As we talked I said to her, “It seems in ministry, in striving to be change agents in the world, one can lose sight of the fact that we are simply tools in the hands of a Changeless God.” It is far easier to work at remembering THAT fact, staying focused on the changeless character of God and his purpose for humanity and our small calling in that purpose than trying to focus on the endless changes in the world, particularly those that we believe need to be “fixed”, most of which are meaningless in the long run. I told her I was beginning to understand the ministry of people like Mother Teresa who labored day in and day out, ceaselessly with one purpose- to love the loveless with the love of Christ- to ease their pain and be with them in their deaths. There was little she could change about their circumstances…but she could bring the changeless love of the Changeless God to bear on their pain. There are many for whom I and others desire a better life….and to whom we offer resources and tools in an attempt to help them get it. When they will not, or cannot, embrace what is offered, we can do no more than pray for them, having done what we could and trust that God is with them to carry them through to the end. So many of the women who come through our doors are so adversely affected by the drugs they’ve used that they cannot think clearly, much less learn or engage in meaningful therapeutic activity for weeks or even months, if at all. It’s always an unknown risk when they arrive…. do they want the Gospel? Can they cognitively grasp the Truth being offered? Are they willing to be healed? Can we really make a difference? How long do we continue to exert ourselves against resistance? Is change in these women maybe not even the point? Maybe they just need to know that God loves them…just that seed. Maybe that changeless message and few days or weeks of respite from their personal hell is all we can offer. God knows. God cares. Our efforts are not wasted even when the goals are not achieved. We simply pray that we will have been faithful to the task to which we were called……to tell others about the changeless love of a Changeless God.”