A New Narrative

I started work at The Mustard Seed in January of 2012 and met with Jim the very first week. He sat across from me and told me that one year prior he had a full-time job, allowing him to move into his own apartment. With all his bills paid for that month, he was under no financial strain for the first time in a long time. Better yet, he was clean from alcohol after an almost lifelong battle with it. Sober, financially secure, and housed independently, Jim had achieved a level of stability. Jim sat back, looked around at his furnished apartment and then asked himself, “Now what? Is this all there is to life?” He proceeded to buy some alcohol, drink it, get drunk, and slide back into alcoholism and eventually homelessness.

Jim has been in and out of treatment for years, and since I first started working with him, he has gone from sober to being completely dependent on alcohol several times. I have met with him consistently over the past 9 months and have at times hit a wall in my ability to hope for him. Our goal was to find him permanent, sustainable employment, but we were always thwarted by his dependency on alcohol. I never stopped caring about Jim or wanting to see him succeed, but there were moments in which I wondered if he could succeed.

I have thought about and tried to understand Jim’s story often. What was lacking in this story? What might have kept him from throwing it all away? I do not know the answer to that question. The causes of addiction are complex, as are the impulses that sometimes cause us to choose that which hurts rather than helps us.

We seek to support our guests and to provide resources that will enable those guests to change for the better. However, that change does not always occur on a clear, linear trajectory that makes sense to us. One of the major challenges in doing the kind of work we do at The Mustard Seed is to keep a positive, hopeful outlook when faced with so many setbacks and daily obstacles. This challenge is faced by everyone doing this sort of work. 

The question for us as front line workers remains: how can we have hope for those who appear destined to fail?

In Matthew 11:28-30, we read, “Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”.

Jesus tells us to come to Him and let Him lighten our heavy load. Without shedding that load at His feet, our backs get so tired that we can barely walk, and so we can barely walk alongside those who need us to lend an arm and help them on their way. We have to hear a new narrative, a new story, in order to keep ourselves from losing hope.  We find that new narrative in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. He overcame the grave and put death under His feet, effectively making null and void death’s power. If that same power lives in us, what do we have to fear? We do not have to fear the worst outcome for our guests; we can rest assured that though we have trouble in this life, Christ has overcome the world.”

We do not always see physical evidence to demonstrate that the redeeming power of Christ is at work around us, but by faith we can rest in the Truth, which is that nothing can separate us from Him, “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons…” We carry this hope and share it with everyone we meet, and though we cannot carry all the brokenness we see around us, Christ can.

--Laura U, Employment Coach, The Mustard Seed

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The Mustard Seed's Calgary Employment Centre is currently in need of work boots, especially men's sizes 10-12. If you would like to donate, items can be dropped off at:
  
102 11 Ave. SE

Hours: 7am-7pm

The Mustard Seed Shelter

7025 44 St. SE

Hours: 7am-9pm

The Mustard Seed Resource Sorting Centre

Bay 27, 4216, 54 Ave. SE

Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm

We all dare to dream...

As children we are taught to dream. We are taught to aim high, that the sky is the limit, that we can be and do anything we set our minds to. Some of the things that were dreams of mine over the last 24 years are as follows...

gain a career as a fire fighter

become an international rockstar

take ballet classes

have a father figure

see my parents reconciled

make good friends

travel the world

escape those who brought abuse into my life as a child

teach chemistry as a lab technician

graduate high school

lead a missions team

drop out of college

finish college

obtain a 3.5 GPA

get married

change the world

I have seen some of these dreams realized, but obviously, some of these things were and continue to be completely out of my control. For example, there is nothing that I could have done to see my parents relationship healed, nor could I have chosen a father figure to replace the void in my life due to the end of my parents' marriage. No amount of decision or choice or maturity or goal setting could allow me to see these things become reality. These aren't dreams that I could attain by my own volition and will. 

Similarly, homelessness and poverty are not the result of choices made. There are circumstances to which some are born into that cannot be escaped as easily as it may seem. We do not scorn those born into majority world (or third world) countries for not having been born into more affluent families. We do not judge children who have been abandoned by careless parents for not having been more responsible. We do not assume that those whose lives have been paralyzed by disease have asked for the hand that was dealt to them. Yet we marginalize others for their homelessness that we, as a society, have chosen on their behalf in so many ways.

You'll notice that mental health issues, sexual exploitation, addictions, and poor food security never made my list of goals throughout my life. As a child I never dreamt of becoming homeless. This may come as a surprise but the same is true of my friends within The Mustard Seed community.

Nobody chooses homelessness or poverty. Nobody dreams of these things.

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