“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” – Psalm 138:8
As a college sophomore performance major, I met Gabrielle Moon and began working at the downtown Children’s Center in an infant classroom.
After graduating college, I moved off and fulfilled my dreams of being a performer. From the age of 3, I dreamed of performing and eventually opening my own dance studio. I traveled as a performer and lived in Las Vegas; however, the auditioning was hard, and in a down economy auditions were becoming few and far between. I missed being close to my family way more than I expected and I also had this loveable guy, who would later become my husband, I was crazy about still living in Oklahoma.
When I was in town looking for a place to live, I ran into Gaby and her family out to dinner and she offered me a position on the management team with the Children’s Center. I’ll admit, I figured this would be a temporary job for me. I had big dreams and plans! Being a dance instructor was my life’s purpose. Little did I know this would be the biggest blessing! Almost twelve years have passed since my first day on the job in that infant room, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. I’ve had many opportunities to leave and do other things, but God has always pulled on my heart to stay here and seek out the opportunities that I would have at St. Luke’s.
I never thought a life outside of my biggest passion would be fulfilling. For a while I thought, ‘well if I wasn’t dancing like I always said I would, I’ve failed!’ I spent many nights praying for God to guide me, ‘do I leave my dreams behind or do I follow this new uncharted path?’ Has your life ever taken a turn you didn’t expect? I look back, not only at the things that I’ve been able to accomplish here, but also what it’s given back to me: a church home, opportunities to grow in both my career and faith together, a chance to bless the lives of children and families through various projects, and having St. Luke’s pastors perform my wedding ceremony. I met my one of my best friends here, my children were baptized here, and I’ve even had the opportunity to share my biggest passion here. God placed me on this path, which has brought so much joy, laughter, and comfort. It may not be the life that I originally pictured, but it has more meaning and purpose than I could have ever imagined.
Meredith Lee, St. Luke’s Children’s Center
