Surviving life can mean different things to different people. For some it is all about staying alive on a bitter cold night because of the charity of a friend who loans you their last blanket or reserves a spot around their campfire. For others it may be surviving a really important job interview or landing that perfectly located or priced apartment. The Springs Rescue Mission is committed to helping our neighbors survive whatever challenges they face, whether it is life or preferred future threatening.The Graduate Services Program helps residents and alumni of the Mission’s programs survive the transition from the structure and accountability of the program environment back into the flexibility and constant change of their families and the community. Surviving transitions can be every bit as scary and uncertain as anything that can happen to you under a bridge on a cold winter night.Here are two stories of life transitions that went a whole lot smoother because they happened in community that is saturated in prayer and encouragement.

Billy’s Survival Story

Billy stopped by my office one day and he looked very sad and worn down. Later that day Billy was going to a job interview and the company required that he supply a resume. Billy had never needed a resume before and he really wanted and needed this job so that he could care for his son and daughter and continue his restoration process. For Billy, having a resume was just as key to his survival as a warm pair of socks and boots on a bitter January night.As he slumped into a chair in my office he began to explain to me how he believed that he was a dummy because he didn’t have any worthwhile skills, couldn’t remember where he’d worked before, or the dates when he had been there. In Billy’s mind, he had already lost. He firmly believed the lies that life had told him; that he could not change or be anything else.One of the things I love most about what the Mission lets me do here happens in moments exactly these. Billy was losing hope. And just like an old birthday balloon losing air, he needed to know that there was another answer that could restore his belief in a new life for him and his family.I asked Billy if I could pray for him and he said, “yes, please”. After we said amen, I introduced Billy to a functional resume format that focused on what he knew and had done instead of where and when he had done it. I asked Billy questions about his past experiences and jobs. 30 minutes later, we had filled my 4x8 whiteboard with enough examples to fill up 2 resumes! Billy sat there studying the board. With a tear in his eye, he turned to me and said, “I guess I am not really a dummy after all”. A smile spread across his face, fueled by equal parts of hope returning and the realization that he was going to survive the interview that afternoon after all. Billy got the job that afternoon and his transition out of the Mission took another positive step forward.

Tony’s Survival Story

Tony needed a new career and was not exactly sure where to look next. Most of the jobs available to him were either minimum wage ($8.23 per hour), hard labor. or a combination of both for only 30 hours per week. None of these options would help him cover his pre-existing bills or establish a home base in a safe and healthy area of the community. Landing the right job was becoming more and more critical to the survival of the new life that Tony was fighting to protect and grow, and his options were running out quickly.Soon after, I received a phone call from a neighbor looking for a new employee to replace one that was leaving suddenly. Initially, I was not sure that it was a fit for one of our current students or alumni. But after asking a handful of questions about the expectations and job description, I immediately thought of Tony. His background in warehousing and logistics was a perfect fit for what the neighbor was looking for, and the salary range was in the neighborhood of what Tony needed. After a few more questions about the timeframe and their willingness to accept a guy with a “cloudy” past, I went looking for Tony to see if the opportunity worked for him.After hearing about the job, Tony promptly called the owner and set up an opportunity to connect a few days later. Then the stress kicked in, and Tony started to get nervous. All of his old fears about not fitting in or not being able to do the job began wearing him down. He showed up in my office looking for some encouragement and strategies to help him survive the interview. For the next few days, we discussed his qualifications, asked and answered the typical interview questions over and over, and talked about negotiating techniques in case money came up. By the morning of the interview Tony was feeling better about his chances and more equipped to represent himself properly.As the time for the interview came and went, I prayed that he would do well and land the job if it was God’s Will. A few minutes after the interview concluded, Tony wandered into my office to share how the interview had gone. He was being cagey, but slowly a smile crept across his face. and Tony shared that the interview had gone well, and that the salary question did come up. But Tony was ready, and he answered their question with another question. Instead of stating an expected amount, Tony asked if he could come and work a day for free. Then his prospective employers could decide how much he was worth based on how hard he worked. It was an absolutely brilliant answer, and paid solid dividends the next day. Halfway through the shift he’d offered to work for free, Tony was informed that the job was his for the taking - and that he’d be paid $5 more per hour than expected! $5 Tony had not only survived the interview and negotiation processes, he’d won a great job that fit him like a glove and paid him more than he had hoped.Both Billy and Tony were facing significant challenges that were every bit as stress-filled and fear-producing as any situation faced by a homeless person struggling for survival under a local bridge. Maybe these challenges were not immediately life-threatening, but their future lives were hanging in the balance, and that made surviving each scenario just as important.Sometimes we have the tendency to short-change these events because they do not seem as dire as a person potentially dying, and that is probably appropriate most of the time. But let’s not miss the opportunity to minister during these other times, when our friends are facing situations that scare them into inactivity or cause them to seriously doubt their worth to a Holy God that is crazy about them.Surviving a job or apartment interview, reconnecting with estranged family, or going before a judge may not be life-threatening in the greater scheme of things. But for some, having a person to walk through these adventures with can provide a much needed living example of “Jesus with skin on him”! And there are so many ways we can help our friends face these challenges.. How about providing a listening ear or a timely word of Godly wisdom the next time you drop off that warm jacket or gloves? Your gift of presence may not seem like a lot to you at the time, but it might be exactly what someone needs to survive and take the next step in their recovery process.