We Get To

Hello,

Let me give you a little backstage pass to the Prom Closet.  I don't often talk about the things that clients don't get to see before we open the doors and welcome them to shop.

Every Saturday before the Prom Closet opens, we get together for a little fellowship and breakfast as well as to share a small devotion, encourage one another, and pray for our clients, their families, and the day ahead.

Last week Tammy shared how one of her good friends views the challenges of life.  He has faced divorce, the death of a spouse, and now a devastating illness for himself.  To keep himself and his loved ones sane, they learned to remind themselves every day of what they “get to” do instead of what they can’t.   For example, “we get to" go to work, “we get to” wake up in the morning, “we get to” smile.

As she shared, I couldn't help but think about not just my own personal struggles but the person next to me, or our clients, and the burdens they carry.  The struggles they have.

The good news is that at the Prom Closet “we get to” love people the way God has shown us.   “We get to” be there for each other and our clients.  “We get to” serve God is a small, yet significant way.

Later that day, in the middle of the busyness I got to see what a magical place that the Prom Closet is. I “get to” to walk around and just be present in the moment.  I “get to” hear people talk about our ministry.  I “get to” hear people laugh.  I “get to” hear strangers encouraging one another. I "get to" see young people feel valued and magnificent.

"Let everything you do be done in love" 1 Corinthians 16:14

This sums up why "we get to" before we speak, before we serve, before we show up, before we work.   What is my motivation? Will it show others God's love?

“We get to” serve because God first loved us. Our prayer is that we reflect His love in everything that “we get to” do!

Blessings,

Aileen

Still

For Tammy and me “being still” is like telling a child to "be quiet" in church.  You can try but…

As we begin our 16th season, "still" is not the word I would use to describe it. Our Prom Squad has been preparing for months to welcome young ladies and their families, and we can feel the anticipation building among our clients. This energy is quite the opposite of staying still.  We are more like sprinters lined up at the beginning of a race.

I arrived early at the Prom Closet on day one of the season to be able to welcome our volunteers and get things started. I put what I had in my hands on a table: breakfast for our volunteers, coffee, my bag, keys and phone. Remember the keys because that will come in handy later.

Tammy was on her way when a squirrel darted out in the road and turned to stare straight at her as if to say, "keep an eye on what you might be missing."

Just then her phone went off and yes it was me on the other end. "Tammy, do you have your keys with you? I just got locked out of the prom closet! I left my keys inside!"

While I am outside the Prom Closet, I am thinking about all the things I could be doing but can’t.  The anxiety continues to build as the first clients begin to arrive.

Our tension builds.  Tammy is on her way with the keys but is getting stuck in every single red light. We both were forced to stay still but in our own way we can see all the things we are not doing because of my mistake. As I impatiently wait for her, I stare through the window at the table and the keys.

A simple mistake.  Running out of time.  Eager clients.  A nerve wracking example of not being still.

We believe this period of waiting has been purposeful. A time for God to work in the unseen. Not everything He builds is visible at first; foundations never are.

Sixteen years ago, at the end of our first season I was happy that nobody came because that would mean God was wrong about his calling to start a prom ministry.

What I didn't know was that He was quietly building a foundation that I was not seeing.  It is not fair to not talk about the feeling that comes with it. Deep down I knew. I think Tammy also knew.  It was not the end of an inspiration; it was just the beginning. I don't think I have ever talked about that feeling because it can be overwhelming (in a good way.)

As I sat at the steps waiting for the keys to arrive. I remembered where God first found me. At the steps right at the other side of the church where a Godly man and his family took me and my family in and showed us God's love, power, kindness, grace, and most importantly a relationship with the Lord.

If you were to stay still for a minute, can you see the place where God first found you?  I could have missed that moment.

Now, here we are with the most amazing group of people who are just as crazy as Tammy and I.  They must be because there is no way to explain what else drew them to the Prom Closet. We are opening the doors after 16 years. I can't deny the foundation that God built quietly, often unseen, yet strong and consistent. 

As the Prom Squad gathered to laugh and pray over the families that day I pondered the concept.  Still? Clearly something is wrong here because after 141 dresses and 16 suits went home that day, I had trouble seeing the “still.”

It occurred to me that I had missed the point:

• To be Still, is to be obedient to God's call to rest in His purpose. 
• To be Still is to know that God is God, I am still a work in progress on this.. 
• To be Still is to let go. In a rushed world, stillness of a soul is more of an attitude of the heart than a condition of silence. 

"Now, then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes!" 1Samuel 12:16