Somehow, God never gets tired. He never gets tired of revealing His truth to us or breaking our rhythms to make a way for His plans. He never, ever gets tired of loving us. He does everything, sees everything, knows everything… and yet He never says, “Can you leave me alone for just like two hours? I really need a nap. It’s been a long day.” But here I am, desperate for a nap after being awake for twelve hours. Yet God has created the universe, made us all in His image, loved each of us more than we can begin to imagine, and continues to work in our lives, and He hasn’t even yawned.
God is at work here in Chicago. Even though gunshots and sirens are the soundtrack of so many lives, and fatherlessness is not unusual, and the nearly constant smell of trash and marijuana is not even startling anymore, God is working and revealing Himself in a lot of beautiful things in the midst of Chicago's craziness. The Firehouse is a prime example.
The Firehouse, led by Pastor Phil Jackson, invites youth and young adults to participate in DJ, dance, fashion, poetry, and culinary classes, as well as bible studies and worship/open mic nights, instead of spending their time on the streets. They fully embrace and embody A.R.T, art for redemptive transformation, and they have seen what art can do for people (hint: the results can be pretty amazing!) Below is a picture in The Firehouse, encouraging youth to "Go out and do something great today!" While The Firehouse doesn't necessary look like a typical house of God on the outside, God sure is working inside those painted walls and inside the hearts of everyone who enters that building, and I'm sure it isn't easy. Well, it wouldn't be for us. Luckily, our God is mighty and powerful and tireless.
God is also at work on a smaller scale. I've watched God work in my housemates and my students at work, I've seen it from afar in friends from home, and I've felt His work in myself.
Although I have enjoyed my time with my 1st-3rd grade students at work, and I have learned so much about teaching in general, I think God is calling me to teach older students. Students who have a lot to deal with, and who are really starting to become their own unique individuals with all different stories. God is also at work in my passions, in what gives me life or what starts fires within me. Being in the segregated, violent neighborhood I am in and witnessing the effects and possible consequences of this years presidential election has made me realize that God has given me a heart for people and a growing passion for social justice. Along with a love for music, theatre, and the Spanish language, I think these things are what I am supposed to do, love, and learn about throughout my life. God has used my first three months in Chicago to begin to truly reveal who He has called me to be and what He has called me to do.
For the next seven months, He has called me to be here. He has called me to be in Chicago, with Mission Year, spending my weekdays at Erie Neighborhood House and my weekends meeting and loving neighbors and living in community with my team. He has called me to get outside my comfort zone, to love others in ways I might not be used to, and to put in a very small fraction of the work He is doing here.
And guys, He is doing so much work. He is making disciples, He is breaking rhythms, He is making beautiful things out of the dust in Chicago. And I can't wait to watch Him continue His work over the next seven months. Though there will be times when I get tired of the violence, tired of the noise, tired of my crazy students and of living in community, He will never grow weary. He will never even think of sitting down to rest. What a mighty God we serve!
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.
Isaiah 40:28
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