God’s Gift to Ones’ in Need of a Place and Family
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15;13)
When I was thirteen years old, my father walked out on our family. He cut off contact and tried to take my grandmother’s farm, which provided for our immediate needs. Four years later, my father tried to get out of paying financial support through a selfish decision. It took several years for me to trust again or believe that I was worthy of support or care. When we moved to Hibbing, Minnesota, we joined a caring Presbyterian Church that taught and lived Christ’s message of hope, joy, peace, and trust in God’s care.
We lived in a Trailer Park and had little to add to the congregation’s Annual Pledge Campaign. Further, we were outsiders moving to an Iron Range community in Northern Minnesota, and neither my brother nor I were talented hockey players. Yet, we were embraced as part of the church family. While my earthly father tried to provide nothing, my home church taught me that my heavenly Father (sorry about the exclusive language) would bring joy, peace, and hope for the rest of my life. Trust was not a fool’s belief but a reality. I experienced the love and care of our Triune God through the love and care shown by a loving church family.
Our goal as a congregation at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Des Moines, Iowa, is to provide the same level of care and respect for those in need of affirmation as my mother, brother, and I received so long ago. When I was in high school and college, they celebrated every small achievement I produced. When I was recovering after paralysis in a hospital, hours away in Minneapolis, church members drove down to give me courage, and lift my spirits. After I was ordained, they celebrated as if the calling was their own. God calls us to find those in need and lift them with the hope and joy I received. God uses each of us to fulfill divine hope and care, now and for all eternity.