Perhaps you have been greeted at SGC by Shelley Becker, who just recently began helping with the First Impressions ministry there. This lovely lady leads a busy life and has a lot to share with us about finding and maintaining a joyful lifestyle.
Shelley and her husband Brent have been married for nine years and have two children, Jacob (8) and Jordyn (6). They discovered SGC through their kids attending VBS two years in a row and loving it. Their children didn't feel particularly connected at the church they were attending. Neither Shelley nor Brent had enjoyed church as kids and didn't want the same thing for their children. They decided to try SGC as a family and have been a part ever since! "It has been so wonderful for our family to go to Sugar Grove Church," she reflects. "For the first time since we have been married, we feel we are a part of a church. Sugar Grove Church is what I have wanted for my family for so long, and I feel so blessed that we have found it." Shelley herself became a believer in 1998, when a customer of hers led her to Christ. "I will be eternally grateful to her and her husband," Shelley states.
A self-described "Jane of all trades," Shelley has traded the high heels and skirts of her former sales career for housework, laundry, volunteering at school and barn chores (which requires a Carhartt coat instead of an Anne Taylor jacket!). She explains that she now doesn't have a job she gets paid for, but a job there isn't enough money to pay her for or enough time to finish. :) It took her awhile to love what she does at home, but she does indeed love it now. "I didn't understand it at first--I mean, how others did it. It was really tough at first. I desperately wanted to go back to work. But now I get it. And it's awesome!"
Shelley sees true joy as a choice that one can apply to anything, and for her that includes housework, meal planning, barn chores, volunteer obligations, etc. She feels that these can be viewed as tasks or as opportunities to bless her family and others. To give her family a clean, relaxing and inviting place to come home to, and a meal that truly nourishes their bodies and is enjoyable is a source of joy for Shelley. "I even find the barn to be a place of solace where I can talk to the Lord and appreciate the amazing animals he has blessed us with."
An animal lover, Shelley enjoys taking care of their horses, goats, dogs and cats. She loves to spend time with them and is amazed by how different each of them is. One of her favorite perks resulting from time in the barn is the uninterrupted conversations she can have with her husband or the children, or both. "No phone. No TV. Just talking. I love it when we are all out there together."
Togetherness is important to Shelley. She uses the 20-minute drive to and from school everyday to connect with her kids. Rather than listening to the radio, she opts for conversation during that time. "We talk about life, friendships, struggles--we solve it all in those 20 minutes, and it's priceless! I have come to really appreciate that time. It's time I never had with my own mom because she had to work while I grew up," she says.
Shelley also stays busy as part of the Little League board, volunteering at Loveway, Inc., and being involved in her children's school. "I am so thankful that the Lord knew what was best for me and didn't just give me what I wanted. I cannot imagine being anything other than a 'stay-at-home mom' right now."
When asked how she is teaching joy to her children, Shelley replies, "I like to think I teach the kids joy when I help them solve their struggles on their own with the Lord's help. It's about guidance, I guess. I received lots of that from my mom." Shelley encourages her kids to seek the Lord every morning about everything and to take the time to notice the little things in life.
Christmas is a very special time of year for Shelley. Her mother loved Christmas, and when her mother passed away, Shelley wanted to carry on her mom's warm, welcoming ways of treating everyone like family. Shelley loves to have people over or buy little gifts for people who aren't expecting it. "It feels so good to let others know you think of them when they are least expecting it!" she says.
Shelley says of her favorite verse, Luke 11:9, "Ask . . . Seek . . . Knock! I love it! The Lord is always there for me. I just need to seek Him. I was so independent before the Lord, and through all of my success I was struggling terribly. Today, I am so dependent on Him. I would rather do things the right way the first time!"
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