I have never met Jessica Mueller face to face. Instead, we have built this lovely little friendship through the world of Twitter. I always appreciate her honesty and the way that she shares her 140-character insights. Today, she gets to speak in a few more words, and I know you’ll love what she has to say.
I am living the life I never really wanted and I love it. Through a crazy turn of events, a quarter life birthday and God’s gentle prodding I reluctantly chose to dedicate my entire life to a crazy mixed up household of teens and babies. It’s through them that I am learning the true meaning of, “God’s plans are not our plansâ€.
I work for a non-profit that provides family style housing for teen moms and their children. Family style housing means I live my job. 24/7/365. I don’t turn off the light and leave my office at 5pm. In fact, at 5pm my job is just getting in the flow of things.
You see the greatest desire of my heart has always been to be a wife and a mom. I never dreamed of a career path, never dreamed of leaving my house in the morning to sit in a cubicle, never dreamed of board meetings and conference calls. My dreams consisted of cooking, playing, taxi-ing, laughing and snuggling on the couch. During my high school and college years I felt obligated to shove these dreams aside because others frowned upon them. And I was miserable. I didn’t want this. I wanted a family. I wanted my own nest with sweet little birdies to sing to and tuck in at night.
I decided to embrace my dreams, in an unconventional way. I quit my job, quit graduate school and stopped trying to run after the American Dream madness. I let my dream guide me and I have never been happier.
Now, at age 26, I still don’t have that nest to call my own. However, God has given me a beautiful home, lots of kiddos and the crazy mom taxi schedule that I always dreamed of. It’s not my ideal, but I love it all the same. I would never have gotten here if I had not allowed my dreams to be shifted and molded.
Our dreams are no small thing. Our dreams expand our capacity to love. Our dreams are vital in helping us discover exactly what we were created to be. Our dreams become powerful forces when we allow them to be shaped by God and used for His glory. It would be a great tragedy to ignore our dreams.
What are your dreams calling you towards?
If you’d like to follow Jess’s tweets, send her a request and enjoy the directness and hilarity that ensues.
