In today's world, life can change in the blink of an eye. You go to work just like every other day, but on this particular day, you get called to the boss's office. You see the HR manager sitting next to your boss and you know nothing good for you is coming out of this meeting. As they're telling you how the company is making a change and how you don't factor into the new paradigm, all you can really hear is the sound of your own heart throbbing in your head. And as they're thanking you for your years of service as they whisk you out the door, all you can think is "How am I going to take care of my family?"

Or maybe you're living that beautiful "Christmas card picture" kind of life. Everyone looks happy and healthy, but something starts feeling off. And when you do some digging, you find out the marriage you believed was rock solid turns out to be anything but. You confront your spouse, only to find out they're having an affair and they're leaving you for someone else.

If you live long enough and have many friends, you've heard these stories way too many times. They break your heart. These are hurting lives. And events like these, and others like severe health problems or a sudden death, can be emotionally as well as financially devastating to individuals and families.

This is where the Real Life Center can help.

I had the great privilege of talking with the center's Executive Director, Cathy Berggren, recently. I was blown away just hearing the stories of how people in need of help and healing are finding it at Real Life Center. They are finding HOPE. The center provides virtually everything a person in need could...well, need. They have a food pantry, a clothes closet, and can provide financial assistance with rent and utilities. They also offer classes on a broad reach of topics, including parenting, and all types of emotional counseling. They even have an orchard which helps provide fresh produce in addition to the non-perishable food items they distribute. And all of this is provided in a Christ-centered, loving environment.

Jesus commands us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and this is the overarching theme guiding Real Life Center's approach to providing assistance. Each member of the staff and volunteer team looks at what they do as "neighbor helping neighbor". It's just that simple.

Cathy shared with me that they have countless stories of individuals who have come to the center feeling hopeless and ashamed but were able to find hope and healing. They have gone through their program and are now successfully supporting themselves. Many even return as volunteers to the center.

One such success story is the gentleman Cathy asked to join her for the interview. His name is Walter Holsten. Walter shared with us that he had one of those great lives going. Married with five kids, successful job in the financial sector, and he was in great health. But that all changed when he lost his job, his wife left him, and he suffered a heart attack. This successful man with a home on a lake found himself having to seek assistance with food and clothes. Walter said he felt so ashamed to ask for help, but at his wits' end, he went to Real Life Center.

Now, less than two years later, Walter is working full time for a hospice provider. He even serves as a chaplain at the hospital where he was treated for his heart attack.

In her nearly two decades with Real Life Center, Cathy and her team have been following Jesus' calling to love their neighbors and their Fayette County community has taken notice. Years ago, when Cathy was getting her master's degree in public administration, her thesis was of a faith-based charity that was able to get schools and municipalities to all work together. Her professor was skeptical that this model could work. But with years of prayer, dedication, and hard work, Cathy Berggren and Real Life Center are doing just that. It's a beautiful example of how all three entities can work together for a common goal. Cathy's even teaching the Real Life Center model to other non-profits and they, too, are meeting with success.

God has tasked Cathy with the responsibility of stewarding a thriving non-profit ministry. But it's one she is uniquely qualified to lead, because she knows personally what it's like to have your world come crashing down around you. Cathy was a home schooling mother of four, enjoying a comfortable life, and attending couples Bible study. However, that all changed when her husband left her. She was devastated and had a rough time figuring out how she was going to support four kids - until she reached out and got help. Now she is helping others do the same.

Cathy told me you really can't have a message without a mess. So the next time I get frustrated about my personal mess going on, I'm going to remember God will use the mess - as both refinement for me, and as glory to Him.

To learn more about Real Life Center, visit their website.

Check out my podcast interview with Cathy and Walter. Their real life stories will give you hope and inspire you to find out ways you can better "love your neighbor”.