Growing up, I remember many great
summer days and nights at my grandparents' cottage with my parents and
sister. Now, with my wife Donna and our four sons... we love the
cottage! The waterfront, the bonfires, the food, the retreat, the
time with family and friends is one of the things I regularly look
forward to. For me, it's that place that you can't wait to get to and
once you arrive you stay as long as possible. It's peaceful to sit
on the deck and watch the sun go down, relaxing with family and
friends.
You know the old saying, “pink sky at
night, sailor's delight; pink sky in morning sailor take warning!”
(Matthew 16:2). I remember when I was little I'd want to wait for
that moment of the day, so I'd know if tomorrow was going to be sunny
or at least not stormy!
Since I've been with the ministry of
Outflow I've thought of that verse as an example of our daily living. That's something I still say today and more often than not
think about life when I say it. We make plans, but God determines
our steps and the mercies of God are new everyday. It's the hope of
a Christ follower that in the morning we receive mercy and that Jesus
might increase and that we would keep in step with the Holy Spirit.
For some, the sky is pink in the morning and for some, at night. It
would be nice for each evening to have a beautiful pink sky with a
promise of sailor's delight the following day, but the reality is we
don't know what the future holds- it's in God's hands.
One of the men staying at the men's
shelter recently moved into his own place. He is a Christian man
that struggles with addiction and has for most of his life. It would
be rare for him to say tomorrow is going to be a great day based on
his struggles. As we were gathering up his stuff for the move,
Joshua 1:9 came to mind. “This is my command—be strong and
courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God
is with you wherever you go.” The truth is we'd like to determine
our own steps if we could, but when we give our lives to Jesus, He is
in control. As we daily lay down our sin and our will, He is with us
and loves us through it all.
As people come through the doors of
162 Waterloo Street or attend one of our evening suppers, whether it is a man staying at the shelter, a lady coming to the women's drop
in, someone stopping by for morning Bible study or someone simply
looking for a safe place, we want people to realize that we serve God
and that He is the LORD of every day... pink sky in morning or at
night! Whatever today brings let's strive to be strong and
courageous, clinging to the promise that God is with us and that the
LORD is good.
God Bless!
Jayme
