Ghetto Store | Previous Challenge Entry

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TITLE: Ghetto Store | Previous Challenge Entry
By Sandra Hartman
10/31/13
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Ghetto Store

I was shopping at the local grocery store the other day. I was perusing the hot cereal when a woman’s voice behind me declared---

:”I can’t believe they don’t have it here!! I came to the “ghetto store” and they don’t have it!” In other words she had demeaned herself by setting foot in this store.

I turned to stare at the woman and she paid no attention to me probably because I am “ghetto.”

This was not always the case. I once was a school teacher living in my dream home in the country. My days consisted of beautiful sunrises and gorgeous sunsets. My feet enjoyed bare footing through the pasture while being serenaded by the dairy cows at the farm down the road. I was in heaven—figuratively speaking.

I had spent most of my life longing to live in the country. I claimed Psalm 37:4 “Delight thyself I the Lord and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” KJV
So when my dream finally came true I placed a wooden plaque with that verse in the window of my country kitchen. I was set to live happily ever after or so I’d hoped.

But then things changed. My husband lost his job. Financially we could no longer afford country life and we moved to the city.

I thought I would die—literally. I was brokenhearted and inconsolable. When my husband placed my wooden plaque on the wall of my city kitchen I was angry. Yes angry. How could God allow this to happen to me! I had been faithful to serve Him and put Him first in my life and now I found myself living in the city on the “ghetto” side of town. I was broken.

At first I was like a fish out of water. I was gasping for air in an unfamiliar ,loud, and frightening place.. I disliked the traffic and the crowded stores. I found the view depressing. We had people stop at our door begging for money. Something I’d never experienced before. Someone stole a riding lawn mower from us and smashed out the back window of my car. I was miserable.

Dejected and broken people walked the streets. People in the stores were rude and unfriendly or just plain scary.

Of course I prayed about this and agonized over it to no end trying to make sense of this turn of events in my life. It would be a couple of years but one night at church a sudden realization hit me. The verse—“The desire of my heart”—God reminded me that while the desire of my heart had always been to live in the country it had also been to serve Him.

I was humbled as I realized God had given me the desire of my heart. My tear blinded eyes had not been able to focus on the truth until then.

Since I have moved to the city God has used my life to touch the lives of others more often than I can count.

I’ve hosted two ladies Bible studies. I’ve counseled broken people at my dining room table. I’ve handed out dozens of Bible tracts and prayed for numerous people.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with precious children from the projects.

I’ve begun to see people through Jesus eyes rather than my own and it has given me a whole new perspective that I wished I’d gained years ago.

God has given me opportunities to serve Him that I never would have had living in the country.
Another Bible verse comes to mind. Jeremiah 29:11 “ For I know the plans that I have for you , declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” NASB

So if you are feeling like a “fish out of water’ in the place you find yourself in life. Remember God has a plan for your life and it is a good plan. It may take some time and some brokenness to see what He is doing but I promise you He is working to bring about something really, really good in you life. You can count on it.

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