From the Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
Back on Canada Day this year I was attending a family barbecue, but also glued to my phone for updates on a baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cleveland Indians.
As it turned out, the game lasted over six hours and ended with Cleveland securing a team record 14th win in a row.
As a big Cleveland Indians fan, I was absolutely elated!
However, just two days later, the Jays thumped the Tribe 17-1, making their plane ride back to Cleveland a long and miserable one.
It occurred to me that this scenario often describes life.
We cruise along for a while with the wind filling our sails, riding the wave of success, only to have our boat suddenly take on water and capsize.
Disappointment can be quite a mighty dose of reality in the midst of life’s triumphs.
It can be hard to carry on when you are in the throes of disappointment, but it is often in these times that someone may need us the most.
In the New Testament, right after Jesus and the apostles learned of the horrific death of John the Baptist, they were thrust into a challenging situation.
They had gone to a deserted place to rest and grieve but when they got there they were met with a very large crowd, many of whom needed healing.
Jesus stepped right into action to minister to these people for an entire day.
Then, when evening started to roll around, the apostles were anxious for Jesus to dismiss the hungry crowd.
After all, they themselves hadn’t even had time to eat, plus they were tired.
It was here that Jesus fed this great multitude with only five small barley loaves and two fish.
Amazingly, there were 12 baskets of leftovers, one for each of these tired and hungry men.
There is a lesson in this story for us today.
When you are met with a harsh dose of reality, life still goes on.
In fact, if we trust the Lord to help us through, and even reach out to others in need, He will also provide for us.
