“Miss Betty, I’m here!” Tito announces into the phone.
“I know, Tito.” I tell him, “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
This is the conversation I have every morning on my way to “work”. It never fails; the phone call comes usually fifteen minutes before the scheduled arrival time - never late. That is Tito’s motto. He is never late to work. Neither is Josh or Heather or any of the others. Ever.
Here’s the thing, they don’t get paid. I don’t get paid. We just show up for “work” and, well, work! But, it is so much more than work. It is opportunity. It is community. It is joy.
Where is this joyful place where people work but don’t get paid and want to be there so much so that they are always early? It reminds me of that car commercial where the car drives by a spectator and the person says...”What kind of...” without finishing the sentence.
I’ll try to tell you as much as is humanly possible what kind of place this is. It is a place where Jesus shows up - that I know. Jesus limps into this place with his left side paralyzed. He shows up everyday despite the fact that he cannot communicate verbally. He comes in his wheelchair wearing a smile. He comes to this place broken and hurting and challenged beyond what any of us can truly comprehend and he finds joy. He is joy.
This is the place where I “work”. I don’t care if I ever get paid because I am paid in full each and every day that I have the privilege to serve Him. I am paid in smiles, laughter, kindness and love. There is love in this place and I wouldn’t trade it for all the money in the world!
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:40 NIV
